Sophie Coxon - A crash course in reef ecological research
For my first 10 days in the Maldives, I have been based in the Faafu atoll, completing a reef ecology field course as part of my degree - MSc Marine Systems and Policies at the University of Edinburgh - in partnership with the maRHE research station on Magoodhoo island. Here on Magoodhoo, we are utilising a range of different data collection methods to gather a full picture of coral and reef biota. We dive twice a day, working on transect lines reeled at different reef sites each time to increase data representativity, at 3m, 7m and 12m depth. Quadrats are laid out along the lines, to capture reef substrate data - this includes coral cover, genera, and other features such as algae, clams, and rubble. Fish surveys are also conducted along the lines, tallying the fish abundance to species level to grasp an idea of community structure, an important indicator of overall ecosystem health.
Day to day life involves long working hours - rising at 6am and working late into the evening to analyse data - but the nature of the work is invigorating and interesting, with new angles and questions arising with each observation. Working in a large team of twenty three researchers is an effective way of pushing the boundaries of thought; having so many different minds thinking about the same topic generates an amazing diversity of ideas and perspectives, capturing minor details that a smaller team might miss, and augmenting the depth of each individual’s knowledge.
After a breakfast of roshi breads, eggs, bananas and coffee, we divide into our various dive teams and have a briefing, determining each buddy pairs’ task for the dive, the dive site, route, and any additional aims. A short boat trip takes us to one of three dive sites (harbour reef, coral gardens, or blue cove) which each exhibit distinct characteristics making site comparisons highly revealing of patterns and associations. We kit up, jump in, and descend onto the reefs, geared up with dive slates, transect reels, quadrats and cameras, ready to capture snapshots of the current biodiversity and add it to the growing database of observations collected at these sites over the past three years. The dives aren’t stressful, but we have work to do and it’s a very different environment to fun diving; there isn’t time to gaze out at the depths or zone in on fish - it’s all about efficiency, and maximising the quantity of data collected per dive. But the diving is still exhilarating, and each time we surface there are bright smiles across the team - especially if we’ve been blessed with a shark or ray during a safety stop, as has happened many times.
After a dive (and a much needed coffee), it’s time for data input - all our observations are collectively recorded in a shared spreadsheet, which will be used for data analyses and project write-up after the fieldwork period. We chat about diving, data, exciting things we’ve seen, over communal dinners, at the kit washing station, on the beach. And sometimes, rarely, we kick back and relax - playing football with the local kids, walking the shoreline under the stars or watching nurse sharks and eagle rays glide around the jetty. Fieldwork can be tiring - especially in the heat, under the constant wrath of mosquitoes, in shared accommodation without any real alone time - but it is also a lot of fun. The first few days can be tough, but soon a routine is established and everyone falls into a harmonious rhythm. And the fact that we are based in such a beautiful location helps to soothe any discomfort.
We have seen first-hand the effects of bleaching, sedimentation, loss of large fish and increases in algal cover on the reef - and will tease apart various aspects of these observations to further establish the relationships and correlations occurring between phenomena we see in the field.
Each of us will take a unique subsection of the shared dataset and explore a hypothesis, producing multiple insights and conclusions from a shared team effort. Hopefully, our work can contribute to the better understanding and protection of Magoodhoo’s reefs in the future - and we will all take away a host of skills and knowledge that we can apply in other roles and locations as we scatter across the globe.
