The World’s Ocean Memory: 250 Years of Data Guiding Reef Management

"The earliest in situ profile measurements in World Ocean Database 2023 are of temperature at the sea surface (SST) and at about 183 m depth collected on December 15, 1772 (~ 55°S, 22°E) by crew of the paddle boat launched from the Great Britain HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook. While SST was probably obtained using a water bucket and hand-held thermometers, subsurface temperature measurements were likely collected using a Stephen Hales water sampling bottle with an enclosed thermometer. " -WOD23

How the times have changed!

"The World Ocean Database 2023 (WOD23) is the world’s most complete and representative digital collection to date of near real time and delayed mode oceanographic in situ profile measurements collected from ocean observing systems over the 1772 to 2022 instrumental record. It is a collection of irreplaceable data records containing ~18.6 million water column profiles with ~3.6 billion measurements of 27 commonly measured physical and chemical variables, including 17 essential ocean and 11 climate variables, ~22.7 million meteorological and sea state observations, and more than 245 thousand plankton tows. WOD23 serves as a foundational and reliable data resource by and for global marine communities by making globally scattered and heterogeneous data FAIR, uniformly formatted, quality controlled, and searchable by means of extensive granular metadata. The data were sourced from long-term archived primary data, thus preserving its provenance, traceability, and authoritativeness. New and updated data are made available as quarterly updates to WOD23. The data are used in research applications, including earth system models, climate data reanalysis, and diagnostic studies. WOD23 is an activity of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange, World Data System, and Center for Marine Meteorology and Ocean Climate Data." - WOD23

Our planet, with its mighty environment manager the ocean, is adjusting in the face of human advancement and the collection and archiving of data has never been more important. The WOD23 is a weighty resource that archives data recording how well our planet, in real time and through the lens of ocean and coastal monitoring systems, is adapting to our influence over the last 250 years.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/world-ocean-database

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/woa/WOD/DOC/wod_intro.pdf

While the WOD23 is not coral‑specific, it outlines capabilities that directly support coral‑reef management, resilience planning, and restoration across the Western Atlantic and Caribbean. The WOD underpins nearly all modern environmental assessments relevant to coral reefs in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean. Its long‑term baselines and standardized datasets are essential for detecting warming trends, assessing bleaching risk, validating satellite products, and understanding the environmental drivers that shape reef health across Florida, the Bahamas, the Antilles, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The key value of this resource is strategic. WOD data directly support evidence‑based decision‑making for coral‑reef management, restoration planning, and climate‑resilience initiatives. The database enables regional comparisons, informs restoration site selection, and strengthens forecasting models used to anticipate bleaching and other climate‑driven stressors. As the region experiences increased disturbance frequency, declining reef ecosystem functionality the WOD provides the environmental context needed to prioritize investments, coordinate across jurisdictions, and plan for long‑term reef and coastal resilience.

The Silver Lining of a Reef in Peril: Building the Next Generation of Coral Stewards

In 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first observed in the vicinity of Miami, Florida. This fast-moving, devastating disease swept through Florida's Coral Reef like wildfire. By 2022, SCTLD had become resident along the entire 360-mile length of the largest coral reef ecosystem in the continental United States, decimating already struggling coral populations and expanding its impact across the Caribbean.

It is often hard to find optimism within such a grim scenario, but as conservationists faced with the decline of ecosystems around the world, we are forced to look for the silver lining in every situation. Even in this case, there are positives to be found. The impact of SCTLD on Florida's Coral Reef launched scientists, resource managers, and regulators into a collaboration that would set the coral conservation community on a new path, a path of collaboration and innovation never before seen.

Three-Pronged Plan for SCTLD

In 2018, a three-pronged plan was launched by state and federal partners to address SCTLD along Florida's Coral Reef. This plan included:

• Caring for corals with SCTLD on the reef using novel treatments to slow the disease spread.

• Researching the disease in the laboratory to understand its process, causes, and why so many important reef-building coral species were susceptible.

• Mounting a never-before-seen rescue operation to remove thousands of corals from the reef ahead of the disease progression for safekeeping on land.

These approaches required funding, intense collaboration, and, in some cases, the immediate development of skills and technology.

Collaboration Across Sectors

To support the plan, agencies called upon universities, the non-profit sector, and zoos and aquariums to support the response plan. In late 2018, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) was invited to join the effort. The State of Florida invited the AZA to partner in the rescue effort and provide homes for the thousands of coral "reefugees" needing relocation after removal from the reef. The AZA responded, and within months, corals previously in peril from SCTLD were traveling to AZA-accredited facilities across the country.

Building Coral Care Capacity

Exciting as this collaboration was, it was evident from the beginning that the most limiting factor to the plan's success was the availability of coral caregivers. While funding and infrastructure could be allocated, the expertise needed for long-term care of these special animals was a finite resource. Thus, the need to expand the care workforce became apparent.

In 2022, another milestone was achieved. AZA facilities, in collaboration with universities and government representatives, began developing a tool to build coral care capacity.

The Coral Aquarist Program (CAP) was launched in 2023. Since then, the CAP has been a game changer for coral rescue efforts in the U.S. and is now expanding its influence across the Caribbean and beyond. The skills, expertise, and network-building fostered by the CAP are informing the coral conservation efforts of other communities struggling to save their local reefs, using the Florida coral rescue effort as a case study.

CAP Participants and Trainers work side by side (The Florida Aquarium)

CAP Participant, Stefana Roberts (Bahamas) at the Florida Coral Rescue Center (2024-2025)

CAP Participant, Alfredo Lawton (Puerto Rico) at The Florida Aquarium (2024-2025)

CAP Participant, Joe Unsworth (Uni. of Miami) at the Georgia Aquarium ( 2024-2025)

Training the Next Generation of Coral Caregivers

To date, the CAP has graduated 23 coral care aquarists and is expanding to meet the increasing demand for coral caregivers in conservation efforts worldwide. This year's participants join previous graduates from the U.S. and its Caribbean and Paqcific territories, as well as, eight countries in the Caribbean region. And this year, the course is expanding to include six training sites, aiming to nearly double the annual graduation rate.

Partners in Coral Conservation

We are proud of and wish to thank our CAP partners:

• The Florida Aquarium, Tampa, Florida

• Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Florida Coral Rescue Center, Orlando, Florida

• Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska

• Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, Ohio

• Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbia, South Carolina

• The Aquarium Vet

• AZA Learn

Welcoming the 2026–2027 CAP Cohort

We are thrilled to introduce the year's class of CAP participants:

• Ayi Ajavon — Mote Marine Laboratory / Mote SEA (USA)

• Katie St. Clair — Texas A&M University at Galveston / Sea Life Facility (USA)

• Melissa Cobo — Coral Restoration Foundation (USA)

• Nikkie Cox — Coral Restoration Foundation (USA)

• Nichole Danser — ScubbleBubbles Foundation (Aruba)

• Paige Deaton — SeaWorld San Diego (USA)

• Ernst Noijons — Reef Renewal Foundation (Bonaire)

• Maria Fernanda Maya — Blue Indigo Foundation (Colombia)

• Samantha Mehr — San Antonio Zoo (USA)

• Gracie Perry Garnette — Turks and Caicos Reef Fund (Turks and Caicos)

• Jason Quetel — University of the Virgin Islands (USVI)

• Davis Strobel — University of the Virgin Islands (USVI)

The Silver Lining

SCTLD remains one of the most devastating coral diseases ever recorded, but its impact also ignited a wave of collaboration, innovation, and capacity building that continues to reshape coral conservation. What began as a desperate response to an ecological crisis has evolved into a powerful, coordinated movement, one that is training new experts, strengthening global partnerships, and giving threatened reefs a fighting chance.

In the face of loss, we found a silver lining. The establishment of the CAP exemplifies the power of collective action in the face of ecological crises. By training a new generation of coral caregivers, we are not only addressing the immediate needs of Florida's Coral Reef but also creating a network of skilled professionals ready to tackle similar challenges across the globe.

As we look forward to the future, the expansion of the CAP and the dedication of our partners highlight a growing commitment to coral conservation. With each graduating class, we are better equipped to ensure the survival of coral populations and the ecosystems they support. Together, we can foster resilience in our oceans, turning the tide against the threats facing these vital marine ecosystems.

Building Coral Conservation CAP-acity

Building Coral Conservation CAP-acity

When the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) partnered with the State of Florida in 2018 to rescue thousands of corals from Florida’s Coral Reef ahead of the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease, we knew it wouldn’t be a quick effort. It would be a marathon.

And early on, one thing became clear: the biggest challenge wouldn’t just be saving corals—it would be building the human expertise needed to care for them.

Corals are unlike almost any other animals aquarists work with. Caring for them requires a unique blend of skills and knowledge. Successful coral specialists must understand organisms that function in many ways like animals, plants, and minerals all at once.

To help build that expertise, AZA’s Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project (FRTRP) launched the Coral Aquarist Program (CAP). Led by Mitch Carl of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, a working group of thirteen AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, universities, and government agencies developed the program and welcomed its first class in 2023.

Three years later, coral science has advanced, husbandry knowledge has grown, and the demand for skilled coral aquarists, both in the United States and across the Caribbean, continues to increase. That means the CAP needs to grow and evolve as well.

Recently, thirteen members of the CAP working group representing nine FRTRP partner organizations gathered in Omaha, Nebraska to help shape the program’s next chapter. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium hosted the meeting, while Georgia Aquarium sponsored a week-long deep dive into the program’s curriculum and administration.

The team reviewed feedback from CAP graduates, trainers, and auditors and incorporated the latest advances in coral science and husbandry. Together they worked to:

• Update the CAP course manual

• Improve the flow of the in-person training phase

• Expand hands-on learning opportunities

• Strengthen the program for coral professionals working in conservation settings

  
  

The group also trained a new cohort of instructors—an important step that will allow CAP to graduate more students each year starting in 2026.

We’re grateful to the partners who helped make this work possible:

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium , Georgia Aquarium , Florida Coral Rescue Center, The Florida Aquarium, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Butterfly Pavilion, Blank Park Zoo and SEA LIFE Orlando.

Of course, it wasn’t all work. The team managed to mix in some fun along the way. Take a look at the snapshots below for a glimpse of the teamwork and camaraderie that helped build coral conservation CAP-acity. Working TOGETHER we can achieve great things!