CORAL BLEACHING AND THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

As part of Free for Locals Day on Tuesday 10 September, hear from AIMS: Australian Institute Of Marine Science coral biologist Dr Neal Cantin when he discusses his research into coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

Research has shown that long-lived coral colonies retain a continuous record of the marine environment within their skeleton in form of annual growth bands, a lot like tree rings. These growth bands provide scientists with important information on how corals are reacting to climate change.

Information from skeleton records as far back as 1522 from the AIMS coral archive are being combined with field observations of the 2016-17 and recent coral bleaching events. In his talk, Dr Cantin will discuss how these findings are being used to understand how corals of the Great Barrier Reef are responding to warming ocean temperatures.

This talk is free to attend.

Museum of Tropical Queensland
Address: 70 -102 Flinders Street, Townsville, Queensland 4810 Get Directions
Open: 9:30am to 5pm daily
General Admission: Adult $15; Child (3-15; must be accompanied by an adult 18+) $8.80; Under 3 FREE; Concession (pensioner and full time student) $11; Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) $38

Website: https://mtq.qm.qld.gov.au/