Coral Reef Morphodynamics
A/Prof Ana Vila-Concejo, Dr Thomas Fellowes, Dr Tristan Salles, Prof Maria Byrne THE PROBLEM Coral reefs around the world are irreversibly transforming due to unprecedented rapid environmental change. Recent mass bleaching events have shown the impact of climate change driven marine heatwaves for coral reef health and the demise of reef structure. Because returning coral …
Unravelling a trace element fingerprint for low-temperature dolomite formation in the Great Australian Bight
Dr Bree Morgan Formation of dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2], a highly-stable carbonate mineral, has been central to maintaining the stability of Earth’s global climate over geologic timescales. There is a disproportionate paucity of dolomite in modern times comparative to its widespread abundance in the deep past, referred to as the ‘Dolomite Problem’, one of the longest standing …
Identifying factors that increase marine ecosystem resilience to climate change
Dr Shawna Foo Anthropogenic CO2 is the primary threat to coral reefs and associated fauna. Increasing CO2 is driving increasing sea surface temperatures and acidification. This project uses an integrative approach — remote sensing, new sensor technologies, in situ experiments, model systems and controlled experimentation — to investigate coral reef resilience from offspring to ecosystems, …