Palmyra Atoll
From Jarvis we traveled about 400 nmi northwest to Palmyra Atoll. The atoll is located in the equatorial Northern Pacific Ocean, it is about 12 squared kilometers with a lagoon in its center (see link above for Wikipedia entry including history of the atoll). During World War II Palmyra was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Navy and acted as a Naval Air Station during the war. Some remains from that era can still be seen throughout the atoll, like bunkers, gun battery and other metal and concrete scraps. In the year 2000 most of the atoll was bought by The Nature Conservancy Organization, and today it is designated and managed as a National Wildlife Refuge, enacting a “wildlife first” policy, which first and foremost makes sure that all wildlife on and around the atoll is protected from human interference or exploitation. It houses a permanent research station and staff year round.
_James M Morioka NOAA-CRED
We spent eight days diving around the atoll, each team doing its own documentation and sample collection (fish and corals surveys, invertebrates indexing, physical and chemical water properties, and of course microbial sampling).
_Andrew E Gray NOAA-CRED
_Kelvin D Gorospe NOAA-CRED
_Kelvin D Gorospe NOAA-CRED
_Kaylyn S McCoy NOAA-CRED
_James M Morioka NOAA-CRED
Our last day in Palmyra was spent on shore, under the warm hospitality of the research station staff. We checked out the old World War II remains, swam in the lagoon and hanged out on the beach. It was nice standing on solid ground after three weeks at sea…
_Charles Young NOAA-CRED