[Coral-List] ICRS Session 18: Geology and paleoecology as tools to decipher the modern coral-reef crisis

[Lauren Toth]

Dear Coral-Listers,



We would like to invite you to submit an abstract to Session 18 of the
ICRS: Geology and paleoecology as tools to decipher the modern coral-reef
crisis.



https://www.sgmeet.com/icrs2016/sessionschedule.asp?SessionID=18



Session Description:

As we come to grips with the realities of Earth’s changing oceans, new
assessment techniques and metrics are required to quantify the status of
coral-reef ecosystems and to predict their response to continued
environmental change. Although extensive reef-monitoring programs have
carefully quantified the decline of the biological veneer living on the
outside of reefs, we must move beyond “percent live coral cover” as the
metric du jour. Research on geological processes, including reef accretion,
calcification, biotic and abiotic erosion, cementation, etc. can provide
valuable insights into reef decline and recovery on timescales more
relevant to the geologic lifespan of coral reefs. Quantifying these
processes across modern and historical environmental perturbations (e.g.,
change in climate, ocean chemistry, and water quality) will provide
scientists and managers an appropriate context for evaluating the potential
for future reef development. We seek abstracts exploring new approaches to
evaluating and quantifying reef accretion, paleoecology, topographic
complexity, abiotic cementation, biogenic calcification, etc. across
decadal to millennial timescales. A better understanding of the processes
that control the long-term resilience of reefs as geomorphic structures,
not just as ecological communities, will help optimize management
activities aimed at increasing both reef longevity and the delivery of
critical ecosystems services.


Session Organizers:

Ilsa Kuffner (ikuffner at usgs.gov) and Lauren Toth (ltoth at usgs.gov)

U.S. Geological Survey, Saint Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/research-themes/calcification.html

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/research-themes/holocene.html

https://profile.usgs.gov/ikuffner

https://profile.usgs.gov/ltoth



Thanks and we look forward to your submissions!