BSc Marine Science and Environmental Studies (Honours) 2025, University of Sydney

Project: Coral Reef Eco-Morphodynamics: Predicting Recovery Through Geomorphology and Hydrodynamics in a Changing Climate

Liav is a PhD candidate in Marine Science at the University of Sydney, supervised by Professor Ana Vila-Concejo, Dr Ana Paula da Silva, and Dr Shawna Foo. Her research investigates how reef geomorphology and hydrodynamic processes influence coral mortality and recovery following mass bleaching and cyclones. Her broader research interests lie at the intersection of physical oceanography, reef geomorphology, and coral ecology, with a particular emphasis on linking physical forcing to ecological resilience.

Liav completed her Honours degree in Marine Science at the University of Sydney, where she examined how reef geomorphology, hydrodynamic energy, and coral morphology shape post-bleaching recovery on One Tree Island Reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef, following the extreme heatwave of 2024. Through the integration of field surveys, in-situ hydrodynamic and temperature measurements, drone imagery, and micro-CT analysis of coral skeletons, her work seeks to understand how local physical conditions structure post-disturbance outcomes. By connecting coral morphology and physiology with patterns of water flow, wave energy, and reef structure, she aims to identify the biophysical drivers that determine why some reef zones recover while others decline.

Building on this foundation, her PhD explores how these fine-scale processes can be upscaled using satellite imagery, bathymetric datasets, and regional hydrodynamic models to predict recovery potential across reef systems. Extending this trajectory, she is particularly interested in how changes in reef condition influence reef productivity, island morphodynamics, and the stability of low-lying island communities. By linking reef recovery dynamics to coastal protection and sediment production under climate change, her research ultimately aims to assess the future of reef-dependent island societies in an era of changing oceans and declining coral reefs.

liav.meodedstern@sydney.edu.au

Publications

Meoded-Stern, L., Da Silva, A.P., Foo, S.A., Waller, A., Byrne, M. and Vila-Concejo, A., 2025. Reef geomorphology, hydrodynamic energy and coral morphology influence recovery after bleaching. Marine Environmental Research, p.107554.

Vila-Concejo, A., Perris, L.A., Da Silva, A.P., Whitton, K., Meoded-Stern, L., Steilberg-Liu, W.Y., Holmes, R., Breuer, H., Byrne, M., Fellowes, T.E. and Salles, T., 2025. Grooves in forereefs act as transport channels to deliver coral rubble during tropical cyclones. Cambridge Prisms: Coastal Futures, pp.1-13.