We examined the response of four species of New Zealand marine algae ( Ecklonia radiata, Apophlaea lyallii, Rhodymenia spp., Ulva lactuca ) and a sea urchin ( Evechinus chloroticus ) to spatial variation in ultraviolet radiation (UV‐R) by examining the concentration of UV‐R absorbing compounds known as mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs). The purpose was to understand how, and the degree to which, local marine species could po...

Stratospheric ozone depletion over Antarctica is expected to continue for the next 50 years, with increases in ecologically damaging ultraviolet radiation (UVR: 290–400 nm), specifically the ultraviolet‐B (UVB: 290–320 nm) portion of the spectrum. Most of coastal Antarctica is covered with 2–3 m of annual sea ice during the occurrence of the “ozone hole.” This physical barrier to UVR transmission has long been assumed to provi...

Fluorescent pigments in several Indo‐Pacific and Caribbean anthozoans have recently been identified as proteins related to the Green‐fluorescent protein (GFP) of the hydromedusa Aequorea victoria . Here we show that GFP is widely distributed in many Caribbean species. The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra for the pigment are similar to those reported elsewhere for coral and noncoral GFP and the fluorescence quantum...

A prototype in‐water laser line‐scanning multispectral fluorescence imaging system was evaluated for its ability to provide data that could be used to determine the quantitative distribution and abundance of various functional groups on coral reefs. The system collected fluorescence imagery in three spectral bands with 1 cm 2 resolution at sites in Florida and the Bahamas. Fluorescence excitation was at 488 nm, and imagery was...

In zooxanthellate corals, excess excitation energy can be dissipated as heat (nonphotochemical quenching), thereby providing protection against oxidative damage by supraoptimal light in shallow reefs. To identify and quantify the photoprotective mechanisms, we studied the diel variability of chlorophyll fluorescence yields and photosynthetic parameters in situ in corals, using moored and SCUBA‐based fast‐repetition‐rate fluoro...

A direct relationship exists between irradiance of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation and concentration of UV‐absorbing compounds, know as mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs), in the Hawaiian reef coral Pocillopora damicornis. However, MAA concentration is also influenced by flow regime and the irradiance of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). High irradiances of UV radiation in reef environments are correlated with high...