Palmyra Atoll
5°52' N, 162°06' W
Palmyra Atoll, a tiny coral atoll in the vast Pacific Ocean. Preserved in isolation, about 1000 miles south of Hawaii, Palmyra Atoll is one of the only remaining intact coral atoll ecosystems on Earth.
Palmyra averages 164 inches of rain per year which supports the atoll. There are 29 bird species, 125 species of stony corals, countless varieties of fish, pods of dolphins, and occasionally, endangered Hawaiian monk seals. One of the last surviving stands of Pisonia beach forest in the U.S. Pacific among other plant species.
In July 2002, 13 students, accompanied by two faculty, Dr. Karla McDermid and Dr. Randy Kosaki, went to Palmyra Atoll for one week on UH Hilo's Palmyra Atoll summer 2002 class (MARE 394P): Atolls and Oceans: An Ecosystem Learning Experience. The objective was to expose students from U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and Hawaii to the unparalleled natural resources at atoll ecosystems, as well as the choices that people must make to sustain such resources. We used both traditional lecture and -in-the-field, hands-on venues. Lectures, readings and discussions covered atoll formation, atoll oceanography, dispersal, biogeography, atoll marine and terrestrial biota, ecosystem function, human impacts on atoll environments, and management of atoll ecosystems. Daily activities also included hikes, snorkels, fish identification, coral surveys, seabird identification and surveys, habitat restoration (e.g. rat patrol), ecological census techniques, marine plant collections, reef walks, and tuna tagging. Student progress was evaluated via daily journals, group discussions, writing assignments, and a student symposium. Each student was given a disposable camera to document their week on Palmyra.
This website was created by one of the students, Naiten Brad Phillip Jr., after the trip, as part of a directed studies project in the Marine Science Department at the University Hawaii-Hilo. All of the photos were taken by the students and faculty in July 2002.
Funding for this course was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program for Minority Serving Instituions.
Questions? Email Dr. Karla McDermid mcdermid@hawaii.edu Visit the department web site at www.kmec.uhh.hawaii.edu
Interested in more information about Palmyra? Check out the National Geographic web site at http://www.nationalgeographic.com