By Edward Fischer The loss of natural reef systems is a threat to both biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale. In many cases, the loss of these reef ecosystems is a direct result of anthropogenic activities, which, is in fact, one of the primary themes of the environmental studies field course that I [...]

By Santiago Fernandez-Barrera Drenched by the torrential rains of Guam as a tropical depression petered out to the northwest, my classmates and I loaded up the dive boat with gear as we prepared for our first set of dives since leaving Catalina Island. Suddenly, the clouds cleared and we set off through the mangrove forests [...]

By Santiago Fernandez-Barrera and Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal As practitioners of Mexican culture and native Spanish speakers visiting Guam, we have quickly become attuned to a familiar tone in the Chamorro language. Guam was once under Spanish power, used primarily as a stopping-relay point for the lucrative galleon trade route. Colonized in 1668, Guam was subjugated by [...]

Over the past few months I lost sleep almost every night thinking about Greenland. Polar bears and river crossings were always at the edge of my mind while lying in bed in Massachusetts. These thoughts sometimes kept me up till dawn. But the first night in my tent, I fell asleep instantly and slept well. [...]

By Dawnielle Tellez In the Pacific, a genus of birds known as Gallirallus has evolved on various islands forming twelve distinct modern species, endemic to different islands ranging from Okinawa all the way to New Zealand.  Among these species are the Calayan rail (Gallirallus calayanensis) also known as the piding, and the Guam rail (Gallirallus [...]

By Nick Leonard In December 2002, the US–Japan Security Consultative Committee began a series of conversations about strategic military alignment in the Pacific and how to protect their associated countries in “today’s rapidly changing global security environment.” [Guam Buildup EIS, 2010] This three-and-a-half-year conversation evolved into what has been know as the Defense Policy and [...]

By Nathaniel Kinsey Note: By the time this posts the USC Dornsife students, staff and faculty will be in Guam. Immediately before the launch of the expedition the group spent a week at the USC Catalina Campus learning the basics of collecting data along transects as well as intermediate diving skills such as working in [...]

By Kaitlin Mogentale If you asked me what my greatest fear is while scuba diving, I wouldn’t hesitate with my answer– the bends. The bends, or decompression sickness (DCS), is a decompression illness arising from the dangers of breathing compressed air at depth for prolonged periods, coupled with improper decompression or excessively rapid ascents. The [...]

By Nathaniel Kinsey Marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) goes beyond politically drawn lines and looks at the many factors that go into effective natural resource management. For example, marine ecosystems offer human society many services providing food, fuel, mineral resources, and even pharmaceuticals. These services are of high anthropogenic value and the hope of EBM is [...]

By Nicole Matthews Solid waste disposal is a major environmental issue faced by countries around the world. For small islands such as Guam the problems that come with solid waste disposal are especially demanding due to the limited amount of space available and the close proximity to bodies of water that flow into the ocean. [...]