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Guest Speaker for December 7th
7pm
Dr. Ilsa B. Kuffner
U. S. Geological Survey
“Global Climate Change and Coral Reefs”
Coral reef ecosystems are particularly sensitive to global climate change. Sea surface temperatures are on the rise, resulting in more frequent and severe "coral bleaching" events. Besides increases in temperature, the other main global climate change issue affecting reefs is "ocean acidification." As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases due to burning of fossil fuels, the oceans absorb a significant portion of it, resulting in shifts in seawater chemistry and a decrease in pH (an increase in acidity).
Research Ecologist Dr. Ilsa Kuffner of the US Geological Survey will explain these two phenomena and how they affect coral reef ecosystems, and describe some of her further research these topics.
Dr. Kuffner joined the US Geological Survey at the Florida Integrated Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2002. She conducts research on coral reef ecosystem degradation, studying the ecological processes that influence the decline and recovery of coral reefs in Florida and the Caribbean. Her work involves collaboration with geologists, chemists and other biologists in the USGS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, and academic institutions. Focus areas of investigation include the dynamics of herbivory on coral reefs, coral reproduction and recruitment, and the effects of ocean acidification on reef ecosystems.
For more information about the MiaSci FYI Lecture Series Click Here
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