Thriving isles

Researchers visiting the Northwestern islands find a healthy area safe from Japanese tsunami debris

By Sarah Zoellick

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 25, 2012

~~<p>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers returned Friday from a 24-day trip to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with good news: Marine life in the largest protected area in the country appears to be healthy, thriving and safe from Japanese tsunami debris.</p>
<p>"The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is one of the last pristine coral reef systems left in the world, and we are tasked with monitoring changes in health and those sort of things," Scott Godwin, the expedition's chief scientist, said shortly after NOAA's Hiialakai ship arrived back at its docking location on Ford Island. "We're basically doing a time series with these sort of trips where the data (regarding reef fish, invertebrate, coral and algae populations) is compiled over spans of five to 10 years, and then we do analysis at that point."</p>
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers returned Friday from a 24-day trip to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with good news: Marine life in the largest protected area in the country appears to be healthy, thriving and safe from Japanese tsunami debris.

"The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is one of the last pristine coral reef systems left in the world, and we are tasked with monitoring changes in health and those sort of things," Scott Godwin, the expedition's chief scientist, said shortly after NOAA's Hiialakai ship arrived back at its docking location on Ford Island. "We're basically doing a time series with these sort of trips where the data (regarding reef fish, invertebrate, coral and algae populations) is compiled over spans of five to 10 years, and then we do analysis at that point." Login for more...