Impacts of marine heatwaves on coral reefs
Our research on Kiritimati (Christmas Island) examines the impacts of marine heatwaves on coral reefs and their recovery potential. Below is coverage of this research.
Following the 2026 expedition to Kiritimati, the team was featured in an article in The Atlantic, covering the El Niño., August 2026
Impacts of marine heatwaves on Porites
Our study of Porites lobata on Kiritimati revealed “even though the lobed coral appeared to be the most resilient of all coral species, our results demonstrate that one lineage was actually very sensitive and experienced a major reduction in abundance following the heatwave. This highlights how the impacts of extreme events caused by climate change may be even worse than previously thought because they threaten diversity at the genetic level.” This finding was published in a Science Advances paper lead by former Post-Doc, Sam Starko and it was accompanied by a press-release. Julia was interviewed by Radio Canada and Julia and Sam wrote an article for The Conversation.
Photo Credit: Banner (Kristina Tietjen)