IRES Costa Rica Program Application

NSF-IRES Costa Rica program

This National Science Foundation-funded program takes place in Santa Elena Bay, located on the northwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A unique oceanographic feature of this region is the seasonal upwelling also known as the “Papagayo Upwelling” which brings deep cold and nutrient-rich water to the surface during the trade wind season, driving high productivity and biodiversity in the area. Because of these unique oceanographic and biological characteristics, the gulf is part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area and a UNESCO Heritage Nature site, protecting coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves ecosystems, which are critical habitats for sharks and rays, northern and southern hemisphere humpback whales and several species of dolphins.

​Learn more about this NSF-funded IRES program here

Their Instagram account is also active and full of information: https://www.instagram.com/ires_costa_rica/profilecard/?igsh=bWFpb240cWxzN2ph

ABSTRACT

Human health is tied to the integrity and health of marine ecosystems. For example, coral reefs create a complex architecture that provides home to 25% of all marine life earning their nickname as the rainforest of the ocean. Despite occupying less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reef ecosystems provide many socio-economical services to humans. They are home to many fish species that directly support fisheries, provide jobs in various sectors of the ecotourism industry, and many inhabitants produce a diverse collection of chemical compounds of great biomedical value. Coral reefs health depend on many factors, including the health of its tenants, such as sharks and whales. These organisms bring nutrients from nutrient-rich latitudes and the deep to nutrient-poor coral reefs via their excrement, and as apex predators they help maintain fish stocks by removing sick fish and by keeping the structural integrity of the fish community. Understanding how coral reef ecosystems, and sharks and whales? populations are impacted by environmental and anthropogenic activities is of fundamental importance in the maintenance of a healthy ocean and local economies. Novel remote technology such as autonomous underwater sensors, acoustic tags, and unmanned aerial vehicles, have become an integral component in marine biodiversity monitoring. Throughout the three cohorts of this project, students will receive training in remote technologies, underwater field methods, and computational approaches. Students will formulate independent questions that together address the research themes using the field and computational tools provided by the program. The skills acquired in this program are transferable to a diverse field of jobs preparing U.S. students for the STEM jobs of the future. Because students will be living in the communities that rely on the marine resources they are studying, by the end of the program they will also have a better understanding of the importance of social equity and diversity of perspectives in marine conservation.

This IRES Track I program takes place in the Santa Elena Bay, Costa Rica. The area is a unique oceanographic region characterized by seasonal upwellings known as the ?Papagayo Upwellings? which brings deep cold and nutrient rich water to the surface during the trade wind season, driving high productivity and biodiversity in the area. Because of these unique oceanographic and biological characteristics, the bay is a critical habitat for coral reefs, sharks and rays, humpback whales and several species of dolphins. This program will recruit 5 US undergraduates and 3 U.S. graduate students, and 1-2 Costa Rican students each year. Each student will select a theme to develop their research project for the 6-weeks of the program. Students will also participate in outreach activities with the community including NGOs, fishers, scientists, and students from Costa Rica. The specific contributions of this program include (1) quantify coral reef health under different anthropogenic pressures, and evaluate restoration efforts using various indicators; (2) identify drivers of decline on the shark community; (3) study the impact of anthropogenic underwater noise on marine mammals and their communicative space; and (4) train a diverse cohort group of students in marine ecology by providing research experience and opportunities to work with Costa Rican scientists and organizations championing marine conservation efforts. By the end of the program students will have acquired skills in scuba diving, photomosaics for coral reef biodiversity inventories, tagging sharks, passive acoustic monitoring, experimental design, and statistical data analysis while generating critical data on the marine megafauna and coral reef communities of Santa Elena Bay. This authentic research experience will also help students develop feelings of confidence, belonging, equity, and community.