The Nursery
Docks
Our seven 20' x 20' square docks comprise the backbone of the HIMB Coral Nursery. They help support our coral rack system and their 5' width provides ample deck space for you to conduct your research and collect data.
FRP Racks
Fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) racks are 4' x 12' platforms used for experiment deployments that require a stable, rigid platform to hold your equipment. These support heavy loads to meet nearly any needs, just ask!
Flexible Racks
Geotextile racks can be built to nearly any size or shape and work well when FRP is too large or replicate racks spread across the nursery space are desired. This design is useful in experiments involving caging, shading, or higher levels of control.
Tank System
Our 28 land-based, flow-through seawater tanks are available to compliment your in-situ work. They are ideal for:
- Field quarantine & pest control
- Temperature/bleaching manipulation
- Feeding trials
- Shade/light manipulation
The Corals
Nursery Colonies
The coral nursery houses hundreds of colonies from corals of opportunity, natural recruitment, and past permitted collections. These colonies are available for use in your research and can be referenced in our photogrammetry time-series going back as far as 2019 for some colonies.
Field Collections
If you are interested in sampling wild coral colonies from the surrounding reefs of Kāne'ohe Bay, we are happy to help you navigate everything from permitting with the state, HIMB boat usage, down to the physical collections in the field. Use our familiarity with our home reef to your advantage.
Species Abundance by Location
| Coral Species | HIMB Coral Nursery | Kāne’ohe Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Montipora capitata | High | High |
| Porites compressa | Low - Medium | High |
| Pocillopora acuta | High | Medium |
| Porites evermanni | Low | Medium |
| Porites lobata | Low | Medium |
| Pavona varians | Low-Medium | Medium |
| Pocillopora meandrina | None | Low |
Equipment
SfM Photogrammetry
3D models built with Structure from Motion photogrammetry allow you to measure surface area, benthic cover, volume and more with sub-millimeter accuracy. We offer equipment for use or a full SfM service with data delivered.
PAM Fluorometry
Our Waltz mini-PAM fluorometer can assess photosynthetic activity, a common proxy for coral and symbiont health. We are happy to share our equipment, help you use it, and also process the data you receive.
Environmental Monitoring
We are equipped with multiple methods of measuring light, temperature, and flow in the nursery:
- LiCor 3 channel PAR meter
- Apogee handheld PAR meter
- Odyssey PAR sensors w/ automated wiper
- HOBO irradiance/temperature loggers
- SoFar SmartBuoy (captures live temperature data at 1 and 3 meters)
Field Lab
With 110V electricity, water tables, and workbench space right at the coral nursery we can accommodate whatever equipment you might want to bring.
Additional Resources
- HIMB: Boats, Housing, SCUBA, etc.
- ToBo Lab: Genetics Core Lab, Wet Lab Resources
- UH Manoa: University Resources for Use/Rent
Services
We offer a range of research support services at the HIMB Coral Nursery. We can supply nursery rack space or tanks for you to conduct your own research. If you require more assistance or won't be in Hawai'i for the duration of your experiment we have staff members to help you meet your goals. Reach out to discuss collaborations in further detail.