The Geocoastal Research Group (GRG), School of Geosciences invites you to a talk by:
Dr. Dan Harris (University of Queensland & GRG collaborator)
Title: “Characterising the wave exposure of coral reefs: Implications for coral reef ecology and morphodynamics”
Time & Location: 11:00 am, Thurs Apr 4th & Conference Room 449 Madsen Building F09, USYD.
Abstract: The interplay between waves and the benthic community of coral reefs governs the evolution and development of the physical structure and ecological assemblages of coral reefs. Yet, the description of wave and tidal processes on coral reefs is almost always qualitative and rarely defined in a way that is comparable between different studies. The terms, high-energy, exposed, windward, and leeward, protected, low-energy are used interchangeably without any consideration of how these terms may be defined globally in other coral reef environments. It is likely, for example, that the low-energy zones in French Polynesia are more powerful than the high-energy zones in the Caribbean. The result is an unclear mosaic of how waves influence coral reef evolution and functioning. In this talk I will detail first attempts to standardise the wave conditions acting in coral reef environments and highlight the potential future uses in terms of coral reef evolution and ecological functioning.
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Geocoastal Research Group 