Pelican Island Site2 in 2011(left) and 2014 (right)

A Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (RRMMP) site at Pelican Island in 2011 (left), a high rainfall year and in 2014 (right) when rainfall was at or below median for the summer. On reefs exposed to runoff from the land, water clarity is lower throughout the year than on reefs further offshore. Sediments that have settled on the seafloor get resuspended by wind and tidal currents.