Puerto Rico has no glass recycling programs in place, meaning that used bottles usually end up in dumpsters. Puerto Ricans are very proud of their beaches, and Medalla Light wanted to give something back to the island with this effort. The goal was to educate and create awareness about the importance of marine ecosystems to preserve our beaches. Without corals, there are no beaches as we know them today.
Coral Reefs are important to the planet, but their numbers are declining. Angela Martinez Quintana, who received her Ph.D. at UB, has been studying ocean habitats in depth. Her research focuses on coral reefs, their impact on the environment, and their restoration.
Researchers are using probiotics on coral to counter disease. Corals grown in aquaculture have high mortality rates. Other scientists say successful coral transplants will only buy time and that greater action on climate change is needed. A project investigating the possibility comes at a time when reef restoration efforts to address Great Barrier Reef challenges such as salinity, runoff, fishing, and climate change are in the spotlight.
In the waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), stressors are becoming more intense; meanwhile, on land in nearby Townsville, tanks full of young corals are being raised in an effort to insure the reef's future.
