About My Research

Over the past few decades, global disturbances have left coral reefs at severe risk. The environmental impacts of ocean acidification and global warming have resulted in intense heat waves and widespread bleaching and mortality. Ocean acidification is an increase in the absorption of carbon emissions from the atmosphere, which has led to a decline in the pH of the ocean. This means that it has become more acidic, making it much more difficult for corals to build healthy calcium carbonate skeletons. Global warming is leading to bleaching events. Bleaching is a stress response within corals. It occurs when the algae that work with the coral to help it carry out survival functions can no longer handle the stressful environment, so it flees. The vulnerable coral is left on its own. It then bleaches, meaning it shows its skeleton. From there, it usually dies, although it can recover if environmental conditions improve or if rehabilitation methods are successful. These threats have produced an intense worry for the future of coral reefs. How much longer can corals adapt, and how much time do we have left to take action? The answer - very little.

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This is what my research is trying to contribute to - expanding our knowledge of coral resiliency and raising awareness about environmental degradation and biodiversity decomposition.