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Deepseawaters
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Sea ExplorationsBonaire
2008
Bonaire 2008: Exploring Coral Reef
Sustainability with New Technologies
 Bonaire,
Netherlands Antilles, is arguably the most pristine coral
reef environment in the Caribbean. Percent coral cover is
the highest and percent algal cover the lowest compared to
other Caribbean reefs and thus its reef environment represents
a baseline against which we can compare other coral reefs.
Bonaire’s economy depends heavily on diving tourism, with
over 31,000 SCUBA divers entering its waters annually. The
Bonaire Marine Park Authority oversees the administration
and protection of this unique underwater resource with help
from STINAPA, a management advisory body. Although the shallow
leeward environment near Bonaire between 0-12 m was mapped
in the 80’s by a Dutch scientist, Dr. Fleur van Duyl, little
to no survey work has been conducted on the deeper reef (60-100
m) on into deeper water (100-300 m). The shallow water survey
(van Duyl 1985) provides a rich database (Figure 2) against
which to assess decadal changes. A recent meeting of the International
Coral Reef Initiative, an effort of the United Nations Environmental
Program, identified mapping the reefs of Bonaire a top priority
in a regional context, and the territorial government of Bonaire
has indicated strong support for our mapping project. Bonaire,
Curacao, Las Aves, and Los Roques have recently been proposed
for United Nations World Heritage Status given the pristine
marine environments and high degree of endemic species which
are those found nowhere else on the planet.
 The
goal of the Bonaire expedition is to survey this unique environment
over a greater depth range than can be reached with compressed
air SCUBA, using 3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs),
technical diving, and in a future year, a manned submersible.
Scientists from the College of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute
of Marine Science, the University of Delaware, and the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography are leading the expedition. We
also have help from the Island Government of Bonaire, scientists
at the National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom, and two
makers of underwater technology, Hafmynd and GeoAcoustics.
This unique mapping of the biological and physical environment
will document patterns of biodiversity in shallow and deep
parts of the reef. We may discover new species. Because AUVs
can fly in close proximity to the bottom in terrain-following
mode, the AUVs will provide a superior method of imaging the
bottom using such sensors as side scan sonar, multibeam sonar,
and digital video (Figure 5), compared to towing these sensors
over the reef on a sled, or using a boat at the surface. The
AUVs can also simultaneously measure water currents near the
bottom, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH, conductivity, and
temperature. We will also be deploying fixed bottom instruments
to measure temperature fluctuations and water currents. Because
the AUVs can work 6-12 hours/day depending on survey speeds,
we should also be able to map several square kilometers per
day. This robot mapping effort will be ground-truthed at select
spots by compressed air and trimix SCUBA divers using underwater
video. This re-mapping of the shallow reefs of Bonaire using
new tools, and the explorations into deeper water using AUV
technology, will provide an important resource for this island
territory in the form of a detailed snapshot of shallow and
deep reefs. The shallow reef mapping will be compared to the
1985 snapshot taken by van Duyl, as well as other limited
surveys by other scientists. The deeper reef mapping will
serve as a new snapshot against which future explorations
can compare. This reef mapping expedition, with the GIS database
on bottom type, species composition, and overlying water quality,
will help the Island Government of Bonaire continue to protect
this unique ecosystem and help guide efforts to manage Fishing
Protected Areas and marine reserves.
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