The Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)
is a marine biology laboratory located on
the state-owned Coconut Island in Kāne'ohe
Bay.
== History ==
The institute was established in 1912.
It began as a wooden structure on the shores
of Waikiki and originally functioned in conjunction
with the Waikiki Aquarium until 1919 when
both operations became part of the University
of Hawai‘i.
In 1947 a group of wealthy oil tycoons, including
Edwin W. Pauley, bought Coconut Island.
Pauley donated a part of the island to the
University for use as a marine laboratory
for the study of the marine sciences.
In 1993, the Pauley family donated the remaining
private part of Coconut Island for the construction
of a world-class marine laboratory.In 2008,
the institute was seeking 57 million dollars
through state-issued bonds for the construction
of a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) marine
research facility.
The site is on the southeast side of the island.
This is part of the master plan approved by
the University of Hawaii's Board of Regents
in 1998, which includes the addition of several
research buildings, laboratories, and conference
facilities.
These will be funded on a case-by-case basis.
The intent is to turn Coconut Island into
the world's premier coral reef research facility.
== Geography ==
Coconut Island is approximately 29 acres (120,000
m2), including 6 acres (24,000 m2) of enclosed
lagoons used to keep organisms being studied
in captivity.
Surrounding it are 64 acres (260,000 m2) of
coral reef, designated by the state of Hawai‘i
as the Hawai‘i Marine Laboratory Refuge.
It is part of the University of Hawaii at
Manoa.
It is the only research facility in the world
built on a coral reef.The boundaries of the
Hawaii Marine Laboratory Refuge surrounding
the island start at the high-water mark on
the island and go to twenty-five feet beyond
the outer edges of the reefs, including sand
and seawall shoreline, where coral and sand
calcium carbonate reef flats are exposed at
low tides.
High coral and macro-algae flourish at shallow-depth
zones while the deep habitats are characterized
by sediment with low coral cover and colonized
by slumping from upper reef zones.
Within Kaneohe Bay are sheltered areas.
Man-made impacts in the area include dredging,
sewage release and freshwater flooding.
The shores of the bay are characterized by
coastal development.
== Habitat ==
The HIMB research facilities are used to explore
deep-sea habitats where new species may be
discovered and documented, as well as shallow
reefs which are rich habitats likely to contain
undiscovered species.
== Programs ==
Hawai‘i Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring
Program (CRAMP) is located at HIMB.
It established a statewide network of more
than 30 long-term coral reef monitoring sites
with associated data collection systems.
It went on to include rapid quantitative research
and habitat mapping, which are tools new used
to understand the ecology of the Hawaiian
coral reefs in relation to surrounding geographic
areas.One study of the HIMB research projects
is on the effects of sound on dolphins.
Another is the study of chemicals in Enchanted
Lake.In 2015, the institute was testing a
new form of coral resistant to coral bleaching.
The institute also spoke publicly to argue
in favor of banning sunscreens with chemicals,
as they majorly contribute to coral bleaching.
== See also ==
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine
Sanctuary
Hawaii Marine Laboratory Refuge
