Paul M. Angell Foundation to Fund and Expand our Research on reef health

We are thrilled to announce that we have recently received funding from the Paul M. Angell Foundation. With their mission to “advance society through the performing arts, conservation of the world's oceans, and alleviation of poverty“, the Foundation is generously supporting our research for a three-year cycle. This is an exciting opportunity that will vastly enhance our research program.

Coral reefs around the globe are facing mounting threats from numerous human-induced stressors. While climate change stands as a significant global threat to reefs, addressing local and regional stressors, like fishing pressure, is an important way to enhance reef resilience in the face of climate change.

A question that has long challenged researchers and ecosystem managers remains, however: How can we measure the impacts of fishing at the ecosystem scale, given that fishing effects manifest over very large spatial and temporal scales. It's a complex question, but we've been investigating an interesting approach.

We're focusing on the large-scale vegetation patterns visible on coral reefs worldwide, known as " reef halos". These fascinating formations could provide a way to remotely monitor when, where, and to what extent fishing pressure is influencing coral reef ecosystems.

With this new funding, we will be able to integrate laboratory and field experiments with advanced satellite imaging technology and cutting-edge machine learning methods to uncover the mechanisms that result in the formation of halos around coral patch reefs, and further to test the predictions stemming from these findings on a global scale.

This is a significant stride towards achieving our ultimate goal of helping to understand and preserve coral reef ecosystems. As we embark on this new research journey, we're grateful to the Paul M. Angell Foundation for their continued support and shared commitment to ocean conservation. Stay tuned for more updates on this work!