Dr. Bernhard Riegl is associate professor at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center. He is the associate director of the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI). He received the MSc degree from the University of Vienna (Austria) in 1989 and the PhD degree from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) in 1993. He also received the habilitation at Karl-Franzens-University Graz (Austria). He is an associate editor of the international scientific journal Coral Reefs.

Dr. Riegl's research centers on coral reefs and other tropical benthic biota, such as seagrass and algae. He is both a biologist and geologist, his research and publications have involved the paleontology, sedimentology, spatial dynamics, ecology, taxonomy and conservation biology of coral reefs and associated organisms. He is also active in hydrographic survey, particularly sonar-based seafloor discrimination, which he integrates with optical remote-sensing to provide high-resolution maps of the seafloor. His research has taken place in the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South Pacific, Eastern Pacific, tropical Atlantic and Caribbean.

Riegl held grants from the Austrian Science Foundation, the South African Foundation for Research Development, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research, NOAA, the US Navy, the WWF, the Austrian Geological Survey, the US Geological Survey and many other local and international agencies. He is author of numerous scientific publications and technical reports for various agencies and companies. He has served as Commission of the European Community and USAID technical advisor in the environmental departments of several Middle Eastern governments and has played an active role in the development of coastal zone management, conservation strategies for coral reefs and environmental legislation.

• Ryan Moyer: "Macrobenthic spatial patterns and community structure on the Broward County (Florida, USA) reefs"
• Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar: "Effects of nutrient enrichment and elevated CO2 partial pressure on growth rate of the zooxanthellate coral Acropora cervicornis"
• Michelle Cho: "Sustainable development of coral reefs and related resources in Southeast Asia"
• Jennifer Keck: "Changes in coral populations on the northwest coast of Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras, subsequent to 1998 bleaching event and Hurricane Mitch"
• Jessica Craft: "Reef macrobenthos adjacent to a major navigational inlet: Port Everglades, Florida"
• Aya Shinohara: "Competition among juvenile Acropora on shallow reefs, Okinawa, Japan
• Kristy Foster: "Effects of sedimentation and turbidity on zooxanthellae in Montastrea cavernosa"
• Gregory Foster: "Synergy of stressors and their effect on coral physiology: sedimentation and heat"
• Luz Raquel Hernadez-Cruz: "A optical remote-sensing evaluation of Acropora palmata population status in Vieques, Puerto Rico"
• Camilla Floros: "Bleaching and plochaete loading of coral at Sodwana Bay", University of Natal
• Murat Greiss: "Taphonomic pathways in branching coral skeletons after a mass mortality in the Arabian Gulf", Karl-Franzens-University Graz
• Steffen Hetzinger: "Acoustic mapping and sedimentology of recent non-tropical carbonates in the Isla San Jose area, southwestern Gulf of California, Mexico", University of Stuttgart
• Markus Eisele: "Akustische Kartierung und Sedimentologie von rezenten gemischt-karbonatisch-siliziklastischen aussertropischen Karbonatmilieus bei Punta Chivato im suedlichen Golf von Kalifornien", University of Stuttgart
• Marcel Strasser: "Akustische Kartierung und Sedimentologie im noerdlichen Golf von Kalifornien, Mexico, mit besonderer Betrachtung von Bryozoenvergesellschaftung", Universtity of Stuugart
• Jessica Brouwmeester: "Ecosystem services of coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt: does damage by divers modify their ecological or economic value and utilization?" Universite de Lausanne

  
  

Selected Publications (Complete publication list)

Walker B, Riegl B, Dodge RE (2008) Mapping coral reef habitats in southeast Florida using a combined-technique approach. Journal of Coastal Research

Riegl B, Dodge RE (2008) Introduction: A diversity of oceans, reefs, people, and ideas: a perspective of US coral research. In: Riegl B, Dodge RE (eds) Coral Reefs of the USA. Springer-Verlag, Dordrecht, 1-9

Riegl B, Purkis SJ, Houk P, Cabrera G, Dodge RE (2008) Geologic setting and geomorphology of coral reefs in the Mariana Islands (Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). In: Riegl B, Dodge RE (eds) Coral Reefs of the USA. Springer-Verlag, Dordrecht, 687-714.

Banks KE, Riegl BM, Richards VP, Walker BE, Helmle KP, Jordan LKB, Phipps J, Shivji M, Spieler RE, Dodge RE (2008) The reef tract of continental Southeast Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Countoes, USA). In: Riegl B, Dodge RE (eds) Coral Reefs of the USA. Springer-Verlag, Dordrecht, 125-172.

Birkeland C, Craig P, Fenner D, Smith L, Kiene WE, Riegl BM (2008) Geologic setting and ecologic functioning of coral reefs in American Samoa. In: Riegl B, Dodge RE (eds) Coral Reefs of the USA. Springer-Verlag, Dordrecht, 737-762.

Riegl B, Purkis SJ (2008) Markov models for linking facies in space and time (Arabian Gulf, Miocene Paratethys) in: Swart P, McKenzie J (eds) Perspectives in Sedimentary Geology: A Tribute to the Career of Robert Nathan Ginsburg, IAS Special Publication.

Purkis, S.J., K.E. Kohler, B.M. Riegl, S.O. Rohmann. 2007. The Statistics of Natural Shapes in Modern Coral Reef Landscapes. Journal of Geology 115:493-508.

Glynn PW, Wellington GM, Riegl B, Olson DB, Bornemann E, Wieters EA (2007) Diversity and biogeography of the scleractinian coral fauna of Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Pacific Science 61(1): 67-90.

Riegl B, Halfar J, Purkis SJ, Godinez-Orta L (2007) Sedimentary facies of the Eastern Pacific's northernmost reef-like setting (Cabo Pulmo, Mexico). Marine Geology 236: 61-77.

Jameson SC, Ammar MSA, Saadalla E, Mostafa HM, Riegl B (2007) A Quantitative Ecological Assessment of Diving Sites in the Egyptian Red Sea During a Period of Severe Anchor Damage: A Baseline for Restoration and Sustainable Tourism Management. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 15(3): 309-322.

Banks KW, Riegl BM, Shinn EA, Piller WE, Dodge RE (2007) Geomorphology of the southeast Florida continental reef tract (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, USA). Coral Reefs 26: 617-640.

Riegl B (2007) Extreme climatic events and coral reefs: how much short-term threat from global change? In: Aronson R (ed) Geological approaches to coral reef ecology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin: 315-341.

Halfar J, Strasser M, Riegl B, Godinez-Orta L (2006) Oceanography, sedimentology and acoustic mapping of a bryomol carbonate factory in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. in: Pedley H.M, Carrannante, G., (Eds.) Cool-Water Carbonates: Depositional Systems and Palaeoenvironmental control. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 255, 199-217.

Hetzinger, J, Halfar, J., Riegl, B., Godinez-Orta, L. (2006) Sedimentology and acoustic mapping of modern rhodolith beds on a non-tropical carbonate shelf (Gulf of California, Mexico). Journal of Sedimentary Research 76: 670-682.

Purkis SJ, Myint S, Riegl B (2006) Enhanced detection of the coral Acropora cervicornis using a contextural classifier. Remote Sensing of Environment 101: 82-94.

Rankey, E.C., Riegl, B., Steffen, K. (2006) Form, function and feedback in a tidally dominated ooid shoal, Bahamas. Sedimentology 53: 1191-1210.

Hernandez-Cruz LR, Purkis S, Riegl B (2006) Documenting decadal spatial changes in seagrass and Acropora palmata cover by aerial photography analysis in Vieques, Puerto Rico: 1937-2000. Bulletin of Marine Science 79(2): 401-414.

Vargas-Angel B, Riegl B, Gilliam D, Dodge RE (2006) An experimental histopathological rating scale of sediment stress in the Caribbean coral Montastrea cavernosa. Proceedings of the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa: 1168-1173.

Riegl B, Purkis SJ, Kohler KE, Dodge RE (2006) Spatial patterns in Arabian Gulf coral assemblages (Jebel Ali, Dubai, U.A.E.) in response to temperature forcing. Proceedings of the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa: 683-687.

Purkis SJ, Riegl B, Dodge RE (2005) Fractal patterns of coral communities: evidence from remote sensing (Arabian Gulf, Dubai, UAE). Proc 10th Int Coral Reef Symp Okinawa, Japan June 28-July 2, 2004, 1753-1762.

Riegl B, Moyer RP, Morris LJ, Virnstein R, Purkis SJ (2005) Distribution and seasonal biomass of drift macroalgae in the Indian River Lagoon (Florida, USA) estimated with acoustic seafloor classification (QTCView, Echoplus). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 326: 89-104.

Purkis SJ, Riegl B, Andréfouët S (2005) Remote sensing of geomorphology and facies patterns on a modern carbonate ramp (Arabian Gulf U.A.E.) Journal of Sedimentary Research 75: 861-876.

Halfar J, Godinez-Orta L, Riegl B, Valdez-Holguin JE, Borges JM (2005) Living on the edge: high-latitude Porites carbonate production under temperate eutrophic conditions. Coral Reefs 24: 582-592.

Renegar DA, Riegl B (2005) Effect of nutrient enrichment and elevated CO2 partial pressure on growth rate of the Atlantic zooxanthellate coral Acropora cervicornis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 293: 69-75.

Moyer RP, Riegl B, Banks K, Dodge RE (2005) Assessing the accuracy of acoustic seabed classification for mapping coral reef environments in South Florida (Broward County, USA). Revista de Biologia Tropical (Suppl. 1): 175-184.

Riegl B, Moyer RP, Morris L, Virnstein R, Dodge RE (2005) Determination of the distribution of shallow-water sea grass and drift algae communities with acoustic seafloor discrimination. Revista de Biologia Tropical 53 (Suppl. 1): 165-174.

Riegl, B., S.J. Purkis (2005) Detection of shallow subtidal corals from IKONOS satellite and QTC View (50, 200 kHz) single-beam sonar data (Arabian Gulf; Dubai, UAE). Remote Sensing of Environment 95: 96-114.

Purkis S.J., B. Riegl (2005) Spatial and temporal dynamics of Arabian Gulf coral assemblages quantified from remote-sensing and in situ monitoring data (Jebel Ali, Dubai, U.A.E.). Marine Ecology Progress Series 287: 99-113

Andrefouet, S., B. Riegl (2004) Remote sensing: a key tool for interdisciplinary assessment of coral reef processes. Coral Reefs 23(1): 1-4.

Rezai H, Wilson S, Claereboudt M, Riegl B (2004) Coral reef status in the ROPME sea area: Arabian/Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. In: Wilkinson C (ed) Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville: 155-170.

Riegl, B. (2003) Global climate change and coral reefs: different effects in two high latitude areas (Arabian Gulf, South Africa). Coral Reefs 22(3): 433-446

Andréfouët, S., P. Kramer, D. Torres-Pulliza, K.E. Joyce, E.J. Hochberg, R. Garza-Pérez, P.J. Mumby, B. Riegl, H. Yamano, W.H. White, M. Zubia, J.C. Brock, S.R. Phinn, A. Naseer, B.G. Hatcher, F.E. Muller-Karger (2003) Multi-site evaluation of IKONOS data for classification of tropical coral reef environments. Remote Sensing of Environment 88: 128-143.

Riegl, B., W.E. Piller (2003) Possible refugia for reefs in times of environmental stress. International Journal of Earth Science 92(4):520-531.

Riegl, B., C. Manfrino, C. Hermoyian, M. Brandt, K. Hoshino K (2003) Assessment of the coral reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands (Part 1: Stony corals and algae). Atoll Research Bulletin 496: 460-479.

Rasser, M. and B. Riegl (2002) Holocene coral reef rubble and its binding agents. Coral Reefs 21(1): 57-72.

Riegl, B. (2002) Effects of the 1996 and 1998 SST anomalies on corals, coral diseases and fish in the Arabian Gulf (Dubai, UAE). Marine Biology 140: 29-40.

Riegl, B. (2001) Inhibition of reef framework by frequent disturbance: examples from the Arabian Gulf, South Africa, and the Cayman Islands. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 175(1-1): 79-102.

Riegl, B. and W.E. Piller (2000) Biostromal coral facies - a Miocene example from the Leitha Limestone (Austria) and its actualistic interpretation. Palaios 15: 399-413.

Riegl, B. and W.E. Piller (2000) Reefs and coral carpets in the northern Red Sea as models for organism - environment feedback in coral communities and its reflection in growth fabrics. In: Insalaco E., Skelton P.W., Palmer T.J. (eds). Carbonate platform systems: components and interactions. Geological Society (London) Special Publication 178: 71-88.

Riegl, B. and K.E. Luke (1998) Ecological characteristics of dynamited reefs in the northern Red Sea and their relevance to reef rehabilitation. Marine Pollution Bulletin 37(8-12): 488-498.

Riegl, B., C. Heine & G.M. Branch (1996) The function of funnel-shaped coral-growth in a high-sedimentation environment. Marine Ecology Progress Series 145: 87-94.

Riegl, B. and G.M. Branch. (1995) Effects of sediments on the energy budgets of four scleractinian (Bourne, 1900) and five alcyonacean (Lamouroux, 1816) corals. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 186: 259-275.

Riegl, B., M.H. Schleyer, P.J. Cook & G.M. Branch (1995) The structure of Africa's southernmost reef coral communities. Bulletin of Marine Science 56(2): 676-691.

Riegl, B. (1995) Description of four new species in the hard coral genus Acropora Oken, 1815 (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) from South East Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 113: 229-247.