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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · 7d

🎓 Proud moment at the HKUST Congregation 2025 – Dr Tim King (Ph.D.) and Ms Shiyue Wang (M.Phil.) graduating.
Their theses advanced understanding of coral metabolism and trophic ecology in changing reef environments.
Congrats to both and looking forward to more contributions to coral reef science.

Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · 12d

💡 One fringing site – LTER5 – remained stable and dominated by Porites rus, showing how distance from shore and hydrodynamic exposure can support resilience even when other fringing sites decline.

Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · 12d

🪸 Nearly two decades of reef monitoring show that fringing reefs ⬇️ degraded while fore reefs ⬆️ recovered, highlighting how local conditions, connectivity, and development – not just ocean heating – shape resilience.

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · 12d

🌊 New paper in Ecosphere!
Long-term community dynamics are heterogeneous between fringing- and fore-reef habitats on an Indo-Pacific coral reef
Edmunds et al. (2025)

🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70398

Long‐term community dynamics are heterogeneous between fringing‐ and fore‐reef habitats on an Indo‐Pacific coral reef

Benthic community structure on present-day coral reefs is often described as rapidly degrading, yet such summative statements do not capture the effects of spatial heterogeneity in communities. We fo...

esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · Aug 8

#NingalooReef "annual surveys of the northern section of the reef in May found up to 90 per cent of coral had been bleached down to 20 metres depth", the "lowest cover of live coral" observed since 2007

"up to 50 per cent of the examined coral was dead in May" but "more would be dead now"

‘You realise your children are probably never going to see Ningaloo the way you saw it’

The west-coast reef has largely escaped the curse of coral bleaching that has blighted the Great Barrier Reef. This year, that’s changed.

www.smh.com.au

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · Aug 8

Feeling lucky to have seen Ningaloo in its prime. Devastated that my children will never have that chance.

Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · Aug 8

#NingalooReef "annual surveys of the northern section of the reef in May found up to 90 per cent of coral had been bleached down to 20 metres depth", the "lowest cover of live coral" observed since 2007

"up to 50 per cent of the examined coral was dead in May" but "more would be dead now"

‘You realise your children are probably never going to see Ningaloo the way you saw it’

The west-coast reef has largely escaped the curse of coral bleaching that has blighted the Great Barrier Reef. This year, that’s changed.

www.smh.com.au

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Simon J. Brandl @gobyone.bsky.social · Jun 6

Heard of "Darwin's paradox"? It refers to Charles Darwin's observation that coral reefs are wildly productive despite occurring in nutrient-poor tropical oceans. Reefs are, so the story goes, oases in marine deserts 🏝️...

Turns out that 2/3 of these assertions are very wrong...

🌐
🦑🧪

🧵⬇️

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Emily Southall @ejsouthall.bsky.social · Feb 20

New research from @thesimslab.bsky.social in @ecol-evol.bsky.social - 🦈🌊
Unlocking the mystery of baby #whaleshark birthing grounds - Extreme environments like #OMZs provide safety from predators & a rich food supply, crucial for neonate survival.

doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

@thembauk.bsky.social

(a) Recorded sightings of whale shark neonates globally (black points). (b) Image of neonatal and adult whale sharks from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines group (b) and Marty Snyderman (b). (c) Whale shark neonates and sea surface temperature (SST, °C averaged for 2005–2019). (d) SST recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (e) Whale shark neonates and Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a, mg m3 averaged for 2005–2019). (f) Chl-a at 0 and 100 m depths recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (g) Whale shark neonates and current velocity (UV) at 0 m depth (ms−1, averaged for 2005–2019). (h) UV recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (i) Whale shark neonates and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration at 100 m depth (μmol L−1, averaged for 2005–2019). (h) DO concentrations at 0 and 100 m depths recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. In (d, f, h) and (j) each point represents a single sighting or randomised location, the solid black line is the median value of randomised locations, the dashed black line the median of the observed sightings for each depth, and the violin displays the density distribution of all locations. IUCN whale shark distributions are shown in white in each map and with a black outline in (a).

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Ecology and Evolution @ecol-evol.bsky.social · Feb 17

Do Whale Sharks Select for Specific Environments to Give Birth? onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · Apr 28

📢 First record of a living coelacanth from North Maluku, Indonesia - 👏 nice work Alexis and team 🤿
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🎦 The Return of the Coelacanth
youtu.be/Z1VSqIlokT8?...

The Return of the Coelacanth - UNSEEN Expeditions - Blancpain

YouTube video by Blancpain

youtu.be

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Ben D’Antonio (He/Him) @bendantonio.bsky.social · Mar 26

🚨 New #Shark Pub available #OpenAccess in @natureportfolio.nature.com journal #ScientificReports 🚨

Here we reveal the dynamic physical processes that drive suitable habitat for Tiger Sharks in a subtropical coastal embayment🦈
🔗link here: rdcu.be/eeZG5
🧵 Thread for more: (1/6)
🎥: @jakemasondiving

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Simon J. Brandl @gobyone.bsky.social · Mar 24

In 2019, we showed that tiny, bottom-dwelling fish can fuel coral reef energy fluxes. In our new paper, we reveal a dramatic dichotomy in their functional role across coral reef habitats separated by a few 100 meters.

esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

@esajournals.bsky.social

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Thomas Frölicher @froeltho.bsky.social · Mar 12

Key takeaways from our study on the record-breaking global sea surface temperature jump in 2023-24:
• A rare 1-in-512-year event
• Only possible due to human-caused global warming
• Climate models capture it—no signs of unexpected climate change

More details below 👇

Jens Terhaar @polarocean.bsky.social · Mar 12

Why have the sea surface temperature suddenly risen in 2023/24? 🌊
Is it true that climate models cannot simulate such SST jumps? What is common to such jumps? How will SSTs evolve over the next months and years? Are we in uncharted territory? More from our recent study in Nature is here👇

Record sea surface temperature jump in 2023–2024 unlikely but not unexpected - Nature

Observations and climate models suggest that the global sea surface temperature jump in 2023–2024 was not unexpected and would have been nearly impossible without anthropogenic warming.

www.nature.com

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · Mar 10

"We can push back on the calamitous corporatization of our universities. It is a fundamental responsibility of intellectuals."

And other gold: 🔥
🔗 academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities

You may never have considered yourself to be one. Why would you? But if you’re reading this, there is more than a likelihood that you are one. If you’re a

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Dr Verena Schoepf (she/her) @verenaschoepf.bsky.social · Feb 18

After record heat stress and mass bleaching for more than two years globally, Australia's largest fringing reef - Ningaloo Reef - is now also in the midst of a severe bleaching event 💔

Large areas of WA’s Ningaloo corals could die in ‘weeks ahead’ after widespread bleaching documented

Conservationists call for urgent government action as prolonged heatwave affects renowned reef, including Turquoise Bay, Tantabiddi and Bundegi

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Sang-Ki Lee @sklee621.bsky.social · Feb 9

Ocean has been losing its SST damping capacity (see Figure) since 1982 due to increased stratification, allowing SST anomalies and the associated climate and extreme weather events to attain stronger amplitude and persist longer. 🌊🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · Feb 8

👉 Widespread decline in fieldwork-based research and education is bad news for biodiversity, conservation, and future generations of scientists 😢.

"Extinction of experience among ecologists"
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

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Simon J. Brandl @gobyone.bsky.social · Jan 31

🐠🧪🎓 New position alert: I am looking for a full-time research technician to work on my NSF CAREER project. Perks:

✅ SCUBA-based fieldwork in Belize 🤿
✅ Chemistry labwork 🧪
✅ Lots of fish and fun(ctions) 🐠📈😀

Deadline: Feb 21st

utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UTstaff/job/...

Please share widely.

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Terry Hughes @profterryhughes.bsky.social · Jan 30

An intense marine heatwave is unfolding off Western Australia.

theconversation.com/a-marine-hea...

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Simon J. Brandl @gobyone.bsky.social · Jan 24

Marine heatwaves imperil emblematic reef fishes by altering the energetic landscape of coral reefs

New paper from @thecaseylab.bsky.social in @animalecology.bsky.social

#science
#ecology

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A figure describing trends in coral cover and butterflyfishes.

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Reposted by Ocean Ecol Lab

Mat Cobain @cobainmat.bsky.social · Jan 23

Our extensive review of the power and pitfalls of amino acid specific carbon stable isotope analysis is finally out in Ecological Monographs! Only 5 years in the making 😅

doi.org/10.1002/ecm....

The power and pitfalls of amino acid carbon stable isotopes for tracing origin and use of basal resources in food webs

Natural and anthropogenic stressors alter the composition, biomass, and nutritional quality of primary producers and microorganisms, the basal organisms that synthesize the biomolecules essential for...

doi.org

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · Jan 23

🍾Congratulations to #PhDCandidate Josh Bennett-Williams for passing his PhD Qualifying Exam at #HKUST today 🎉.
👀 Follow for more updates on Josh's work applying stable #isotopes to understand the trophic #ecology of #fishes 🐟🦈

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Ocean Ecol Lab @oceanecol.bsky.social · Jan 22

⏰ [Closing Soon] Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program

Want to study a Master's of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in ocean science under a generous scholarship❓ For young aspiring leaders from Asia to study in Hong Kong and obtain intercultural opportunities.

👉 Apply now: t.ly/JMdaQ [before 24 Jan 2025]

Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program | HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School

t.ly

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Lorenzo Bramanti @philebo73.bsky.social · Jan 20

Check our new publication on mesophotic reefs fishes in Cabo Verde!!

Environmental and geographical drivers of reef fish beta diversity across the depth gradient doi.org/10.3354/meps...

@cnrs.bsky.social @sorbonne-universite.fr @coralreeffish.bsky.social @underthepole.bsky.social

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Dr Veronica Radice @drradice.bsky.social · Dec 18

🪩 Excited to share our paper in #BiologyLetters about recent trends & biases in #mesophotic research! Huge effort by our volunteer community worldwide @pimbongaerts @AlelimonHA @perez-rosales-g.bsky.social & entire @mesophotic team!
▶️ doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
#ForCoral @rsocpublishing.bsky.social

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