Photo by Amanda Kowalski, Chukchi Sea.
Selected Papers and Projects
A Shoal in Time: biogeographic barriers to pelagic predators in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |
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This project was completed with fellow student Alexis Wood aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans. Combining tag data for white sharks and Pacific blue marlin from Dr. Barbara Block with real-time oceanographic data, we assessed invisible barriers to white shark and marlin behavior and migration (for example: oxygen starvation and temperature intolerance). Data was collected over five weeks at sea using CTD, ADCP, fluorometers, and a host of other oceanographic instruments.
Effects of predicted future acid conditions on calcification and polyp health of Pocillopora damicornis
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While studying coral reef biology and ecology at Heron Island in Australia, I designed an experiment in which I subjected corals to temperature and pH treatments in order to assess changes in physiology. Treatment levels were chosen based on A1F1 (worst case scenario) predictions by the IPCC. The experiment was short-term and did not produce statistically significant results, but it was my first venture into scientific research and was the catalyst for my pursuing a Master's degree in marine science.
Bleaching: the Greatest Threat to Coral Reefs |
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Temperature, rather than ocean acidification, habitat loss, sedimentation, or any other threat facing coral reefs, is the most pressing concern for their future health. At least that's what I argue in this short report.