Krista LaForest

After a week in the Wet Tropics of Australia, we were finally off to the Lizard Island Research Station! During our flight we saw the rivers from the rainforest rushing nutrient rich, high sedimentation water out to sea creating a gradient to clear blue water near the coral reefs.

Upon arrival, I completed my boating check out, reviewing skills like driving the boat, deploying and retrieving anchors, and hooking up to the moorings. Shortly after, I donned my dive gear and experienced the Great Barrier Reef for the first time at Clam Gardens. I was amazed to see just how much live coral was present despite reports of massive bleaching only a few months prior! So much life clings to these reefs – from large reef sharks to the tiniest seahorse – it really puts into perspective the importance of protecting these ecosystems.

We were fortunate enough to host two guest lecturers this week – Charlie Veron and Morgan Pratchett. Charlie is accredited for classifying most corals on the Great Barrier Reef, so it was a pleasure to hear him discuss coral taxonomy and the evolutionary history of corals. After reading his book, A Reef in Time, I was able to apply what I read during his lectures about the impacts of climate change on corals.

Since this was my first experience with the Indo-Pacific, I was nervous about how I would identify coral species. Fortunately, Morgan was able to give us a tutorial based on the Coral Finder Field Guide! This was incredibly helpful in identifying the common coral genera – especially when we tested our knowledge in the field! Morgan also taught us about benthic survey techniques, highlighting the differences between point intercept, line intercept, and belt transects.

This week also marked the beginning of our independent projects. Team Biogeochemistry, led by Tyler Cyronak, started the week by assembling underwater instruments to deploy for our research. The autosampler allows us to collect water samples over a period of 24 hours without having to get in the water – a perk I appreciated at 3am sleeping soundly knowing the instrument was doing its job! We also deployed the SeaPhOx, which allows us to measure all kinds of parameters, like salinity, depth, temperature, pH, and oxygen concentration. Once we returned to shore, we learned how to use the automatic titration machine, so that we could calculate the alkalinity of the field samples. This week we deployed both the autosampler and the SeaPhOx at a nearby mangrove site, and next week we will repeat the process at a reef flat to compare differences in carbonate chemistry.

I gained tangible skills this week through lectures, field-based tutorials, and my independent project, however, I also gained a lot from unscheduled time. I tend to be more shy in large groups – especially when everyone on the island is an expert in something. But through Saturday barbeque and nightly sunset chats I expanded my network, and even practiced my elevator pitch outside of the classroom!