![]() ![]() Scientists have long known that rising ocean temperatures affect coral health in a variety of ways. When Rogers and his team analyzed their atoll data, it became clear that the health of particular reef zones was closely tied to the temperature, wave and pressure dynamics in those areas. After placing the instruments, the researchers monitored them for about three years to collect data. ![]() “The idea was just to get a huge coverage over the reef,” Rogers said. To find out, he and his team deployed a series of instruments in the waters surrounding the South Pacific atoll of Palmyra, including temperature sensors, velocity sensors to track wave speed and pressure sensors to measure the strength of incoming waves and tides. Rogers wanted to understand how forces driving ocean water circulation would affect reef temperatures and, by extension, reef health. Their towering structures help to protect vulnerable coastal areas from storm waves. They host thousands of marine species to support sustainable fisheries. “What this paper illuminates for the first time is how waves can lower the water temperature and create better conditions for coral reefs to thrive.”Ĭoral reefs are among the world’s biodiversity hotspots. “We have known for a while that high water temperatures are harmful to coral reefs,” Rogers said. The results, published in a report in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, offer new insight into how climate change will affect reefs on a local level – and also hint at steps conservationists can take to reduce the impact of warming on these fragile ecosystems. As oceans warm, physical forces like wave strength and water flow influence which reefs thrive and which die, according to a study led by Justin Rogers, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. While climate change threatens coral reefs in oceans around the world, not all reefs are affected equally. The Catalyst for Collaborative Solutions.Technology Transfer/Technology Licensing.Stanford Data Science & Computation Complex.Stanford Engineering Reunion Weekend 2022.Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Council.Summer Opportunities in Engineering Research and Leadership (Summer First).Graduate school frequently asked questions.Stanford Engineering Research Introductions (SERIS).Stanford Exposure to Research and Graduate Education (SERGE).Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF).Additional Calculus for Engineers (ACE).Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA).About the Equity and Inclusion Initiatives.
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