- Coral reefs are one of
the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.
They're home to thousands
of species of fishes,
and other marine life.
But more than that,
they're critical to the
climate of the planet,
because they absorb carbon dioxide
and help regulate ocean
temperature and circulation.
But climate change and
other human-based activities
are decimating coral
populations around the world.
Our lab focuses on coral bleaching.
That happens when corals lose their
symbiotic algal partners
that give them their pigment.
With out the algae the
corals can't survive.
In some places though,
corals are bleaching
a lot more than we would expect.
And in other places they're
bleaching a lot less.
We're looking at how
human-induced stressors
like nutrient pollution, sedimentation,
and overfishing can make the corals
in particular areas more susceptible
to rises in water temperature,
that in turn, make the
corals bleach sooner
or for a longer period of time
than they would otherwise.
Understanding the factors
that regulate coral bleaching
can help inform the management
and conservation decisions
people make at a local level,
so they can take action
to make their coral reefs
a little bit healthier,
and able to withstand the
stress of climate change.
And that's my research in 60 seconds.
