Ocean Experiments: Corals, Manta Rays, Rowing Races and Plastic Pollution

Coral reefs are built by living architects, but not all corals build reefs in the same way. Different reef-building species grow differently, shape reefs differently, and respond differently to stress. Fran will explore why keeping live cover of corals is as important as which corals make-up that live cover and what changing coral communities mean for the future of reefs. She will also look at why there is still room for hope.

What happens when you turn Britain’s toughest rowing race into a scientific experiment?
As teams rowed 2,000 miles around the UK coastline, they also collected environmental data on DNA, microplastics and underwater sound from places research ships rarely reach. Blending extreme sport with cutting edge science, this is the story of how human endurance helps uncover new insights into the health of Britain’s coastal waters — and why listening to the ocean matters now more than ever.

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and increasing in the marine environment, particularly in remote locations. The effects on marine life include entanglement, ingestion, and potential leaching of toxic plastic additives into tissues. Jessica will talk about her PhD research investigating the exposure of reef manta rays to plastic pollution in a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean, including abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, and microplastics. Additionally, she will discuss the origins of plastic drink bottles on the beaches of the Chagos Archipelago, and share how these results feed into Extended Producer Responsibility recommendations in the Global Plastics Treaty currently being negotiated by the United Nations.