Squahsoc

Bachelor of Science, Environmental Studies - University of California, Santa Barbara

Candidate, Master of Philosophy, Marine Biology - University of Queensland

Strong knowledge in:

* Coral bleaching, climate change, coral reproduction, lipid content in corals
* Analyzing environmental and climatological conditions during bleaching and non-bleaching years on the Great Barrier Reef. 
* Google Earth KML overlay and mapping.
* Creating Pearl Script or Java application for data to Google Earth display transition
* Scientific dive certified, kelp and coral transect surveys
* Ecological and biology statistical analysis

Bleaching effects of lipids in tissue of Sceleractinian coral in the Great Barrier Reef

Supervisor: Dr. Selina Ward; Dr. David Kline Centre for Marine Studies, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia. Australia

This study's three main questions are

1. Does bleaching reduce coral fecundity?

a. Do corals that bleach go on to have fewer reproductive polyps, fewer and smaller eggs, and smaller testes

2. Does bleaching reduce level of lipids in the tissues of Sceleractinian corals?

a. Are fecundity and/or percentage of lipids in tissue affected in some species more than others?

3. Do corals that bleached in 2006 later become more susceptible to bleaching in 2007?

a. Are spawning corals affected more by bleaching than brooding corals?

b. Does a coral's morphological characteristic(branching, massive, table corals) affected its susceptibility to bleaching?