Climate Change Impact
Puwe patch reef in Chuuk before and after a climate-induced bleaching event and typhoon passing by. Climate change is impacting reefs and fisheries across Micronesia and our database project provides information to predict these impacts and monitor recovery so we can create proactive management policies.
Sequential images from the forereef off Malem, Kosrae, before and after a climate-induced bleaching in 2016. After the coral dies, turf algae grow on top of the dead skeletons which represents a food source for herbivore fishes.
Some reefs can recover quickly after disturbances events (left) while others take longer to recover or may never recover (right) due to declining fisheries or increases in land-based pollution. The Micronesia Challenge evaluates reef recovery potential and the causes behind poor recovery to build a management framework that can sustain reefs and fisheries as best we can into the future.
Climate change is causing more frequent disturbance events to our reefs. The time frame between disturbances will dictate the types of corals we see on the reef into the future. Large habitat-forming corals such as these will become more rare into the future.
Fish biomass can nearly double in response to the food availability, and over time, can clean the reef to facilitate recovery. Maintaining healthy and sustainable fisheries is perhaps the largest challenge Micronesia reefs face.
Improving fishing gear and technology gives us better access to our prized fishery resources. In order to balance the subsistence needs of societies, the economic needs of markets, and the ecological needs of our reefs, our database project also collects data on fish catches and sales to support a balanced future alongside our marine resource management agencies.
Subsistence fishing, seen here in Namo, Marshall Islands, typically targets smaller fish that can grow and reproduce faster. Thus, subsistence fishing may have less of an impact on fisheries resources as compared to commercial fishing that targets the largest fishes that take much longer to replace.
Together, our monitoring teams work for a common goal across a large part of the Pacific bringing data together to sustain our future livelihoods.
Are you ready to help?
Join, contribute, or collaborate with the Micronesia Reef Monitoring program