Feb. 25, 2009 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ocean survey ship the Bold will spend the next 19 days studying coral reefs in U.S. Virgin Islands waters.
The ship will be open to the public for tours March 5 when it docks at Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas. The public is invited to visit from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The ship's mission is scientific observation to help protect and improve the environment in waters around St. Thomas and St. John.
"The coral reefs off the U.S. Virgin Islands are some of the most ecologically significant in the world, so protecting their health is a priority for EPA," said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. "The state-of-the-art OSV Bold represents EPA's commitment to scientific research at the highest level, and allows our scientists to collect valuable data that supports the conservation efforts of our partners in the region."
The visit of the Bold underscores EPA's commitment to marine research, said Jim Casey, who serves as the EPA's coordinator in the Virgin Islands.
"It's very important to generate baseline data to make wise and appropriate decisions," he said.
Coral reefs are vital to ecosystems because they provide habitat for fish and invertebrates and support local fisheries and tourism, according to an EPA news release. The physical presence of coral structure protects shorelines from erosion by waves and currents. In recent years, the majority of coral reefs around the territory have suffered severe degradation from numerous environmental stresses, including increased sea-surface temperature, contaminants from land-based sources, nutrient and sediment pollution, and vessel discharges.
EPA scientists and divers will observe and analyze coral reefs at some 60 locations near St. Thomas and St. John to create a robust and quantified record of existing coral conditions. A similar study took place last year near St. Croix.
Data from the studies will be used to develop water-quality standards under the Clean Water Act and to enhance the Planning and Natural Resources Department's coral-reef monitoring. The study contributes to EPA's ongoing effort to understand and quantify the benefits ecosystems provide, known as ecosystem services.
EPA scientists will be joined by researchers from Planning, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy throughout the 19-day voyage.
EPA and Planning scientists will also document the presence of crabs, lobsters, sea urchins and conchs, and monitor water quality for potentially harmful nutrients.
The Bold is 224 feet long and 43 feet wide. It's equipped with state-of-the-art diving, sampling, mapping, and analysis equipment that scientists use in a variety of ocean-monitoring activities.
The ship is a converted U.S. Navy T-AGOS class vessel. It can house up to 18 scientists, as well as 19 crew members, and remain at sea for weeks as they collect water-quality and sediment samples, fish and other organisms.
EPA divers working off the Bold monitor coral reefs and other sensitive habitats for impacts from pollution. The Bold operates in the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
Before its research in the Virgin Islands, the Bold spent nearly two weeks in the waters near Puerto Rico, where EPA scientists performed a series of water-quality tests and mapping exercises.
EPA scientists will detail their research and experiences living at sea on the EPA's blog. For more information on the Bold, visit epa.gov/bold. For more on EPA's work in the Virgin Islands, click here. For information on EPA's Ecosystem Services Research Program, click here.
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