First up in our blog post series is Shion, who will be talking about her research question which she will be collecting data for in Phuket!
What is the significance of this research question?
Thailand is considered to be one of the most desirable dive destinations in the world with crystal clear waters and an extremely high diversity of marine life. In Phuket alone, there are over 85 dive centres with an estimated 100,000 divers visiting per year. With the dive tourism industry booming, Phuket island is becoming further developed with many coastlines becoming construction sites for tourist destinations such as hotels, beach clubs and shopping complexes. From the conception of the Thailand Expedition, Melanie and I have always agreed that it would be really interesting to conduct research projects on the impacts of dive tourism on the reef communities around Phuket. While the increase in popularity of dive tourism has had profound effects on the economy of Thailand, it has also had great ecological consequences on the surround reef communities. The increase in coastal activity as well as the number of divers to the dive sites surrounding Phuket, has had observable effects on the coral reefs.
One aspect that I will be researching while out in Phuket is the increase in sedimentation levels and the consequences on coral community composition in the reefs surrounding Phuket. While physical contact by divers and boats can damage the fragile skeletons of corals, sedimentation is said to be one of the highest pressures on coastal coral reef health. Sedimentation can arise from erosion of coastal land, which can occur during construction, as well as in run-off from rivers and streams into the sea. Coupled with increased anthropogenic activity in the water which stirs up sediment, coral cover can be severely affected. Increased sediment results in decreased water clarity and, therefore, decreased light penetration which is crucial for the symbiotic zooxanthellae. Sediments can also coat the coral’s surfaces requiring increased energy use in the maintenance of clean surfaces. Sediments may also contain nutrients and other chemicals affecting other factors in these habitats such as pH and nutrient balance
Why coral?
I first noticed and truly appreciated coral in Belize in 2016 when I was conducting coral health surveys as part of a marine conservation programme. As part of the programme I was required to undertake dive surveys of the coral reefs in Belize, which form a part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and it’s safe to say that coral has been the apple of my eye ever since. Continuing my studies of Marine and Freshwater Biology at Glasgow University has only furthered my desire to conduct research in tropical marine habitats and being lucky enough to be selected as part of the Egypt Expedition team in 2018 only whetted my appetite for research on coral reefs even more. Coral reef research is extremely topical at the moment with seemingly increasing numbers of people being interested in the conservation of these habitats. Upon deciding to co-lead the expedition to Thailand with Melanie, doing a project on coral seemed like a natural choice.
How are you going to be researching this?
Research for Fraser’s project and my project will be undertaken in a buddy team, with one other diver for safety. We will head to various dive sites around Phuket and set sediment traps which will be left for two weeks at a time. I will use a belt transect survey method to take photographs of the coral reef at 1 metre intervals along a 20 metre transect line. These photographs that I take will be analysed using a software called Coral Point Count (CPCe), which will allow me to measure the percentage cover of each species of coral, as well as the overall cover of the coral on the reef at each dive site. Paired with the sedimentation measurements, where the amount of sediment from each sediment trap is dried and weighed, any significant links between sediment levels and coral cover can be investigated. Fraser and I will also be collecting information on the numbers of divers that visit each site per year. It will be interesting to see if there is any connection between the number of divers and the level of sedimentation that the dive sites experience around the Island.
What are you looking forward to most about Thailand?
Going on the Egypt expedition last year has given me a really great insight into marine research methods as well as the ins and outs of running an expedition. Having assisted honours project research on freckled hawkfish behaviour, red sea anemonefish behaviour and other projects such the camera drop project, I can’t wait to get stuck into leading a research project myself. Thailand will be really great as I will get to experience lots of new aquatic species that I’ve never come across before, at the same time as giving me lots of scientific diving experience. With a great team behind me, I’m confident that the research project will come out really well. I also look forward to experiencing the culture in a corner of the world that I've never visited before, eating lots and lots of Pad Thai and other culinary delights and finally developing some colour that I've lost since going back to Glasgow.
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