How to Save a Reef (Hopefully in Time)

Abstract:

In the 1980’s, even before climate change was a consensus among scientists, coral reefs were declining rapidly from a combination of human and climate-caused problems. The debate over the exact causes of these declines is now giving way to discussions of how to maintain coral reefs as a viable ecosystem. As climate change and human needs increase, saving reefs requires a combination of approaches, and a combination of sciences: physics, chemistry, geology, biology/ecology, biogeography, and the social sciences. This talk will present an array of disciplines in the “save the reefs” toolbox, and will emphasize the need for interdisciplinarity if we hope to be successful.