Changing by Degrees | Lecture by Andrew Baker

The Fate of Coral Reef Ecosystems in an Era of Climate Change

a Lecture Presented by: Andrew Baker Associate Professor RSMAS | UM

Dr. Andrew Baker will talk about the declining health of coral reefs around the world, and how research at the Rosenstiel School can help understand, prevent, and reverse these declines. He will discuss the effects of climate change on coral reefs, in particular the phenomenon of coral ‘bleaching’, and the question of whether corals can adapt to increasing temperatures and ocean acidification.

He will also discuss some of the local impacts to coral reefs in Florida caused by nutrient pollution and overfishing, and how these impacts reduce the resilience of corals to climate change stressors. This year the federal government reviews 66 coral species (including 7 in Florida waters) for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Key Biscayne Citizen Science Project seeks to train local volunteers to provide in-the-water monitoring to better track changes in the health of our local marine environment. Come and learn how these Citizen Science efforts will help us understand and prevent continuing coral reef decline.