US Caribbean Research Articles

Early life ecology of the invasive lionfish (Pterois spp.) in the western Atlantic.

The invasion of the western Atlantic by the Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) is a serious threat to the ecological stability of the region. The early life history of the lionfish remains poorly understood despite the important role that larval supply plays reef fish population dynamics. In this study, we characterized patterns in the horizontal and vertical distributions of larval lionfish collected in the western Caribbean, US Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico from 19 ichthyoplankton surveys conducted from 2009–2016. Using generalized additive models (GAMs), we assessed the relative effects of spatiotemporal and environmental variation on the distribution of lionfish larvae. We also examined otoliths to determine larval ages and report the first larval growth rate estimates for this species. Lionfish larvae were present at 7.8% of all stations sampled and our model suggests that lionfish presence is related to sea surface temperature and the lunar cycle. Year and location also strongly affected the larval distribution, likely reflecting the ongoing expansion of the species during our sampling timeframe. Much of the variation in larval lionfish presence remained unexplained, and future studies should incorporate additional environmental factors to improve model predictions. This study improves our understanding of the lionfish life cycle and accentuates the need for further research into the early life history of this invasive species. The design and implementation of effective long-term lionfish control mechanisms will require an understanding of their entire life history.

Cultural and Natural Roots of Puerto Rican Mestizaje in Rosario Ferré’s The House on the Lagoon

The paper explores the conversational orchestration of family anecdotes as a dominant experimental narrative strategy underlying Puerto Rican author Rosario Ferré’s historical novel, The House on the Lagoon. The study reads Ferré’s narrative through Mikhail Bakhtin’s philosophy of the dialogic nature of language to highlight the interplay between environmental and cultural images of hybridity. The close reading of this representative piece of US Caribbean literature elucidates how Ferré utilizes the dialogic form to contest the Puerto Rican cultural and national politics that tend to suppress and silence the nonwhite (black and indigenous) components of Puerto Rican identity.

Clay and climate are poor predictors of regional-scale soil carbon storage in the US Caribbean

Soils of the tropics play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle as substrates for the most productive terrestrial ecosystems and as large C reservoirs. The amount of C stored in a soil is affected by soil properties such as texture, pH, and mineralogy, as well as climate, vegetation and land management, yet, uncertainty remains regarding the relative importance of these variables at different spatial scales. The goal of this study was to explore the factors influencing regional patterns in soil C storage. Soils were collected from 36 sites under four land cover types (forests, pastures, croplands and wetlands) and on 30 soil series in seven soil orders, representing the diversity in soil forming factors and major non-urban landscapes in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Soils were analyzed at three depths, 0–30 cm, 30–100 cm, and 0–100 cm, for total carbon (TC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (N). Traditional predictors of soil C storage such as clay content and climate were not sufficient to accurately capture regional soil C trends. The combination of clay plus fine silt was positively correlated with SOC stocks but explained a relatively small amount of the variation. Site temperature and mean annual precipitation were not correlated with SOC stocks. Soil order and land cover were weak predictors of SOC for a subset of data where forests and pastures were found on three of the same soil orders, allowing for a two-way ANOVA. Soil N showed similar trends as SOC. Patterns observed depended on the soil depth studied, reflecting relative differences in the strength of top-down and bottom-up factors influencing SOC and N storage. These findings suggest that mechanisms not described by the distribution of soil particle sizes need to be considered for better predictions of SOC dynamics. In a geologically diverse region, soil properties were better predictors of SOC than climate or land cover. Tropical regions represent a diversity of soil types yet parent material and soil physical properties other than texture are not currently included in most biogeochemical models attempting to predict the response of tropical soil C pools to environmental change. Recognition of the heterogeneity of geologic substrates and weathering gradients in tropical regions and incorporation of a more mechanistic understanding can improve soil C modeling and land management decisions.

Detection of gaps in the spatial coverage of coral reef monitoring projects in the US Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

As part of the US Coral Reef Task Force's National Program to Map, Assess, Inventory, and Monitor US Coral Reef Ecosystems, a comprehensive survey of projects/programs monitoring coral reef ecosystems and related habitats (i.e., seagrass beds and mangroves) in the US Caribbean and Pacific was undertaken. Information was gathered on a total of 296 monitoring and assessment projects conducted since 1990 in the US Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Substantial gaps in monitoring coverage of US coral reef ecosystems were revealed through geographic information system (GIS) analysis of survey metadata. Although southern Florida contains approximately two-thirds of all marine monitoring projects found in the US Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, we were unable to identify any ongoing projects that monitor coral reefs along Florida's western coast and off of the Florida Middle Grounds. Additionally, Florida is covered by approximately 1 900 km2 of mangroves, yet there were only four ongoing projects that monitor this ecosystem, leaving gaps in coverage in the Lower and Middle Keys and along the eastern and western coasts. The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, located offshore of the Texas/Louisiana border, has an integral long-term monitoring program, but lacks a monitoring project that gathers long-term, quantitative data on reef lish abundance and certain water quality parameters. Numerous coral reef monitoring projects in Puerto Rico are concentrated on the island's southwestern coast surrounding La Parguera, while far fewer monitoring projects are conducted along the northern and southeastern coasts and around Vieques Island. In the US Virgin Islands, the paucity of monitoring projects in large areas of St. Croix and St. Thomas contrasts with monitoring activity in three marine protected areas (MPAs), where 66% of the US Virgin Islands' coral reef monitoring sites were found. Only a series of assessments have been conducted at Navassa, a small, uninhabited island located 55 km west of Haiti and 137 km northeast of Jamaica. In order to better understand changes in coral reef communities and to produce a series of biennial reports on the status of US coral reef ecosystems, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is developing a national coral reef monitoring network. This network has already begun to fill some of these gaps in monitoring coverage through issuing cooperative grants to states and territories to build long-term monitoring capacity.

On the spatial distribution of the wave energy resource in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands

The present article describes a numerical modeling study of the spatial distribution of the wave energy resource for Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). The study consists of an analysis of three years of output from the CARICOOS Nearshore Wave Model, an operational model based on the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model. Using the wave model output, the wave power was computed and then averaged for a three year period from between January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Maximum values at nearshore areas range from 7 to 8 kW/m for those locations in Puerto Rico exposed to North Atlantic winter swells, particularly the region between the towns of Aguadilla and Fajardo. This region is likely the most viable location for wave power generation in the US Caribbean given the very narrow shelf and the proximity to some of the most important components of Puerto Rico's electric grid. Wave power extraction certainly presents an interesting possibility for the future, and the present study is a first step towards better understanding the feasibility of such projects for the PR/USVI archipelago.

Larger foraminifera of the Devil's Den and Blue Hole sinkholes, Florida

Abstract. Shallow-water carbonate deposits are well-known from the Eocene of the US Gulf Coast and Caribbean. These deposits frequently contain abundant larger benthic foraminifera (LBF). However, whilst integrated stratigraphic studies have helped to refine the timing of LBF overturning events within the Tethys and Indo-Pacific regions with respect to global bio- and chemo-stratigraphic records, little recent work has been carried out in the Americas. The American LBF assemblages are distinctly different from those of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. It is therefore essential that the American bio-province is included in studies of LBF evolution, biodiversity and climate events to understand these processes on a global scale. Here we present the LBF ranges from two previously unpublished sections spanning 35 and 29 m of the upper Eocene Ocala limestone, as the early stages of a larger project addressing the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the LBF of Florida. The study indicates that the lower member of the Ocala limestone may be Bartonian rather than Priabonian in age, with implications for the biostratigraphy of the region. In addition, the study highlights the need for multiple sites to assess the LBF assemblages and fully constrain ranges across Florida and the US Gulf and suggests potential LBF events for future integrated stratigraphic study.

Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora

ABSTRACTBackground: Lower rates of substance abuse are found among Black Americans compared to Whites, but little is known about differences in substance abuse across ethnic groups within the black population. Objectives: We examined prevalence rates of substance abuse among Blacks across three geographic regions (US, Jamaica, Guyana). The study also sought to ascertain whether length of time, national context and major depressive episodes (MDE) were associated with substance abuse. Methods: We utilized three different data sources based upon probability samples collected in three different countries. The samples included 3,570 African Americans and 1,621 US Caribbean Black adults from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL). An additional 1,142 Guyanese Blacks and 1,176 Jamaican Blacks living in the Caribbean region were included from the 2005 NSAL replication extension study, Family Connections Across Generations and Nations (FCGN). Mental disorders were based upon DSM-IV criteria. For the analysis, we used descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariate logistic regression analytic procedures. Results: Prevalence of substance abuse varied by national context, with higher rates among Blacks within the United States compared to the Caribbean region. Rates of substance abuse were lower overall for women, but differ across cohorts by nativity and length of time in the United States, and in association with major depressive episode. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested.

Investigating acoustic diversity of fish aggregations in coral reef ecosystems from multifrequency fishery sonar surveys

Remote species classification using fisheries acoustic techniques in coral reef ecosystems remains one of the greatest hurdles in developing informative metrics and indicators required for ecosystem management. We reviewed long-term marine ecosystem acoustic surveys that have been carried out in the US Caribbean covering various coral reef habitat types and evaluated metrics that may be helpful in classifying multifrequency acoustic signatures of fish aggregations to taxonomic groups. We found that the energetic properties across frequencies, in particular the mean and the maximum volume backscattering coefficient, provided the majority of the discriminating power in separating schools and aggregations into distinct groups. To a lesser extent, school shape and geometry helped isolate a distinctive group of reef fishes based on shoaling behaviour. Schools and aggregations were clustered into five distinct groups. The use of underwater video surveys from a Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) conducted in the proximity of the acoustic observations allowed us to associate the clusters with broad categories of species groups such as large predators, including fishery important species to small forage fishes. The remote classification methods described here are an important step toward improving marine ecosystem acoustics for the study and management of coral reef fish communities.

LNG systems for natural gas propelled ships

In order to reduce the atmospheric pollution generated by ships, the International Marine Organization has established Emission Controlled Areas. In these areas, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulates emission is strongly controlled. From the beginning of 2015, the ECA covers waters 200 nautical miles from the coast of the US and Canada, the US Caribbean Sea area, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel. From the beginning of 2020, strong emission restrictions will also be in force outside the ECA. This requires newly constructed ships to be either equipped with exhaust gas cleaning devices or propelled with emission free fuels. In comparison to low sulphur Marine Diesel and Marine Gas Oil, LNG is a competitive fuel, both from a technical and economical point of view. LNG can be stored in vacuum insulated tanks fulfilling the difficult requirements of marine regulations. LNG must be vaporized and pressurized to the pressure which is compatible with the engine requirements (usually a few bar). The boil-off must be controlled to avoid the occasional gas release to the atmosphere. This paper presents an LNG system designed and commissioned for a Baltic Sea ferry. The specific technical features and exploitation parameters of the system will be presented. The impact of strict marine regulations on the system's thermo-mechanical construction and its performance will be discussed. The review of possible flow-schemes of LNG marine systems will be presented with respect to the system's cost, maintenance, and reliability.

Severe physical violence and Black women's health and well-being.

We evaluated the association between intimate partner violence and the mental and physical health status of US Caribbean Black and African American women. We used 2001 to 2003 cross-sectional data from the National Survey of American Life-the most detailed study to date of physical and mental health disorders of Americans of African descent. We assessed participants' health conditions by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (Washington, DC; American Psychological Association) Composite International Diagnostic Interview. We found differences in health conditions between abused African American and Caribbean Black women. There were increased risks for lifetime dysthymia, alcohol dependence, drug abuse, and poor perceived health for African American victims of partner abuse, and binge eating disorder was associated with partner violence among Caribbean Black women. Severe intimate partner violence was associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes for US Black women, with different patterns between African American and Caribbean Blacks. Understanding intimate partner violence experiences of US Black women requires recognition of key intragroup differences, including nativity and immigrant status, and their differential relationships to women's health.

A comparative study on pollutant emissions and hub-port selection in Panama Canal expansion

Located between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Panama Canal has reduced both transit time and costs for the container shipping industry in particular. Once canal expansion is completed, container carriers will immediately face emission reduction demands in North America, and will be required to address problems regarding hub port selection for transshipments in the wider Caribbean region (WCR). This will occur because of the upsizing of mother vessels in trunk routes and the global promotion of the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as ship fuel under what is known as the clean-lines strategy. As a result, canal expansion will facilitate changes in ship size related to hub selection, pollutant emissions and the use of fuel alternatives which must be addressed by carriers, in particular in regards to the emission control area (ECA) requirements of North America, the US Caribbean and the WCR region. In this study, we use the activity-based method to estimate pollutant emissions and trunk route deployments from Asia to the East Coast of North America. The results show that slow-steaming yields substantially reduced emissions, and that the upsizing of mother vessels after canal expansion will increase pollution emissions accordingly. However, shipping companies that use hub-port selection to plan intercontinental transshipment strategies and conform to a fuel-efficient strategy can substantially reduce emissions. The innovation of this article is in its analysis of actual fuel use, emissions reductions and hub selection in the aftermath of canal expansion. The implementation of this strategy requires converting from heavy oil to LNG fuels, as well as changes in shipbuilding technology, port industries, related infrastructure and regulations on environmental protection of various governments.

Three new Nannastacidae (Crustacea: Cumacea) species from a Caribbean mesophotic ecosystem.

Examination of substrata from the mesophotic reefs of Mona Island, Puerto Rico yielded 3 new species of cumaceans, all from the family Nannastacidae: Cumella achimae sp. nov., C. victoriae sp. nov. and Nannastacus craciuni sp. nov. The 3 new species bring the total of new cumacean taxa described from the mesophotic reefs of US Caribbean to 9, highlighting the potential of mesophotic reefs as a biodiversity hotspot. For the first time we report the genus Nannastacus from the Caribbean Sea.

Floating migration, education, and globalization in the US Caribbean

This article follows a research project that collects oral histories of bilingual education teachers from Puerto Rico who migrated to the US Virgin Islands in the late twentieth century. The teachers’ oral histories are used as a case study that provides in-depth analysis of competing discourses related to education and globalization in these two US Caribbean territories. The paper begins by examining intersections between migration and globalization in the Caribbean. Analysis of oral teachers’ accounts of events experienced in both islands is provided, with a focus on how they dealt with tensions tied to floating migration, constructions of “otherness,” language use, and racial formations in their articulation of transnational identities and cultural differences.

Conservation genetics and management of yellowtail snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, in the US Caribbean and South Florida

Abstract Population‐genetic structure and average long‐term effective size of yellowtail snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus (Bloch), sampled offshore from the Florida Keys and four localities in the US Caribbean, were investigated using nuclear‐encoded microsatellites and a fragment of the mitochondrially encoded ND‐4 gene. Analysis of spatial genetic variation revealed occurrence of up to four groupings (stocks) of yellowtail snapper: one in the Florida Keys, one along the west coast of Puerto Rico, one that includes the east coast of Puerto Rico and St. Thomas and one offshore of St. Croix. The observed genetic differences among localities are not strong, and additional sampling to examine whether the observed patterns of population structure are temporally stable is warranted. Levels of genetic variability and estimates of average, long‐term effective size (Ne) indicate that yellowtail snapper at all five localities have, at present, sufficient genetic variation to maintain long‐term integrity and sustainability.

Beyond the Stars and Stripes: charting Van Dyke Parks' new world musical voyage

AbstractDuring the early 1970s the American songwriter, musician and producer Van Dyke Parks completed work on a series of albums exploring the musical contours of the circum-Caribbean region and, through them, broader patterns and issues in twentieth-century US–Caribbean relations. Focusing on the connections between the United States and the (former) British colony of Trinidad and Tobago as articulated via the latter's calypso and steel band traditions, these recordings (two solo albums and two productions) not only explore the grammar, vocabulary and subject matter of a new world music before the phrase ‘world music’ was conceived; they also invite a range of scholarly interpretations. Drawing on a selection of theoretical concepts – notably cultural imperialism, the Black Atlantic, minstrelsy, and world music itself – this article offers a set of formalist and contextualist readings intended to rehearse Parks' Caribbean work as both a case study in (and a challenge to aspects of) the inter-disciplinary analysis of popular music.

AFRICAN MORPHOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND PHERMONES UNDERLIE INCIPIENT SEXUAL ISOLATION BETWEEN US AND CARIBBEANDROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Understanding incipient sexual isolation and speciation is an important pursuit in evolutionary biology. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model to address questions about the early stages of sexual isolation occurring within widespread species. This species exhibits sexual isolation between cosmopolitan and African flies, especially from Zimbabwe populations. In addition, we have recently described another example of partial sexual isolation between some US and Caribbean populations. This and other phenotypic data suggest that Caribbean flies might be segregating African traits. In the present work we study the geographical variation at the pheromone locus desaturase-2, as well as morphology and courtship behavior across the US-Caribbean region. We find that US and Caribbean populations show sharp geographical clines in all traits and demonstrate that Caribbean traits are more similar to those of Africa than to US populations. Further, African traits in the Caribbean are associated with sexual isolation and best explain variation in sexual isolation when all traits are considered together. These results imply that Caribbean mating preferences are likely to be based on African traits and that even at such early stages of sexual isolation, individuals may already cue in on several traits simultaneously during mate choice.

Strategic Investments in Large Pelagic Research

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) of the US NOAA Fisheries provides much of the US science advice for the management of Highly Migratory Species (HMS) in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and US Caribbean Sea. These stocks include the tunas, sharks, billfishes and swordfish all of which are targeted either commercially or recreationally or both in US waters. These species are managed internationally through membership to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); however, while the US is an ICCAT member, few Caribbean nations are members. According to ICCAT (2006), both blue and white marlin are overfished and undergoing overfishing; western Atlantic sailfish are undergoing overfishing and fully exploited; western Atlantic Bluefin tuna are overfished and undergoing overfishing; north Atlantic swordfish are no longer undergoing overfishing and are rebuilding; and Atlantic yellowfin tuna are neither undergoing overfishing nor are overfished. The commercial ex-vessel value and recreational value continue to provide sufficient incentive for exploitation. For example, the ex-vessel value for tuna and swordfish steaks in 2003 and 2004 was US$22,000,000 and US$16,000,000, respectively. In Puerto Rico, the estimated value of recreational billfish fishing in 1994 was estimated at US$44,000,000 per year. A 1999 study (Sutton et al. 1999) estimated that for the US Gulf of Mexico, the charter boat industry produced 1000 jobs and total economic output of US$45,000,000 per year. This study also identified HMS as the most sought after species by the Gulf of Mexico charter boat industry. The billfishes are highly prized recreational targets globally, yet there is a lack of understanding of much of their life history. In 2000, the SEFSC first developed an “Atlantic Billfish Research Plan” currently in version 4 and revised in 2004. The objective of the plan was to provide guidance on research priorities to reduce uncertainty in ongoing stock assessments to improve the biological basis for management and rebuild the stocks. This plan prioritized information needs as: biology and ecology, including age and growth, fecundity, species identification and stock structure; analytical methodology and tool development and implementation; and fishery research including gear solutions to minimizing bycatch. As a result of this plan, increasing investments in funding of applied research began in 2002 and with an increasing number of research partners and collaborators. One measure of increasing the body of knowledge on which to base management is the number of publications resulting from these increases in investment. From 2004 to 2006, the number of publications specific to billfish life history, ecology, and potential impacts from fishing increased from less than 5 to 8 in 2005 and to 23 in 2006. Continued investments into research organized around a working hypothesis will progress towards improving the science advice and basis for management world wide.

Rethinking United States–Caribbean relations: towards a new mode of trans-territorial governance

United States–Caribbean relations over the period of the last thirty or forty years have rarely—if ever—been analysed in a thoroughly satisfying way. It is a strange omission in the international relations literature given the proximity of the United States to the Caribbean, and vice versa. But the fact is that most accounts of the relationship have fallen prey to a powerful, but ultimately misleading, mythology by which small, poor, weak, dependent entities in the Caribbean have either created trouble for, or alternatively been confronted by, the ‘colossus to the north’ that is the United States in whose ‘backyard’ they unfortunately have to reside. Virtually all analysts of the US–Caribbean relationship have thus drawn a picture marked at heart by the notion of an inherently unequal struggle between forces of a different order and scale. Within this broad metaphor the only major difference of interpretation has reflected the competing theories of power in the international system developed by the realist and structuralist schools.

What Are OECD Trade Preferences Worth to Sub-Saharan Africa?

A problem which has complicated multilateral trade negotiations like GATT's Uruguay Round is that OECD countries have adopted important departures from the most-favored-nation (MFN) principle in their trade regimes. Recently these departures have taken the form of regional trade preferences, such as the Canada-United States Free Trade Arrangement, NAFTA, the Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Arrangement or European Community and EFTA preferences for Eastern Europe. Developing countries receive important trade preferences under the OECD countries' Generalized System of Preference (GSP) schemes, and through preferences extended under the EEC Lome Convention and the US Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). Since the Uruguay Round will lower trade barriers on an MFN basis it poses a dilemma for preference-receiving countries. Specifically, MFN tariff reductions will erode these countries' margins of preference and cause their competitive position to deteriorate vis-a-vis other suppliers. Trade losses will occur as some preference-receiving goods are displaced (diverted) by exports from other (non-preference receiving) countries. As a result, preference-receiving countries could justifiably try to minimize reductions in MFN tariffs. Overall, the strategy which these countries might adopt vis-a-vis the multilateral trade negotiations could be determined by an assessment of whether the likely trade gains from lower MFN tariffs on their non-preference receiving goods would offset the expected losses from their preference-receiving exports. This study examines the problem of preference erosion from the perspective of Sub-Saharan African countries. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was selected for analysis due to the extensive multiple tariff preferences these countries receive in OECD markets (i.e., GSP, Lome Convention and, in many cases, least developed country preferences), and the fact that the region's export growth has been below that of most other countries (World Bank 1992).

Science and technology issues in coastal ecotourism

This is an abridged and edited version of a Background Paper prepared by the US Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) of the Congress of the United States. Using information from a wide variety of sources many perhaps not familiar to tourism specialists the paper focuses on ecotourism trends, identifies issues related to resource conservation, and ecotourism development, planning and management and presents questions for further consideration. Where possible it attempts to identify issues of special concern to US Atlantic and Caribbean coastal and island areas. Copies of the full paper are available from the US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, USA.