Jill’s new paper, written with Jen and Levi, came out recently in the Marine Ecology Progress Series. Their paper, Quantifying scales of spatial variability in algal turf assemblages on coral reefs, describes how turf algae on a coral reef are variable over very small scales. Turf algae are a group of small (~ 1 cm tall) algae that grow like a fuzzy … Read More
These Three Reefs Are Not Like Each Other
By Maggie Johnson My field work entails a combination of field and laboratory experiments. Field work is utterly exhausting; working in and on the water for all daylight hours and then in the lab for what remains of the day. But one of the things I love the most about being a marine biologist with field based research is the … Read More
Coral Reef Ecosystems: Human Impacts, Pristine Reefs & Conservation Strategies
Jeffery B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series presents Dr. Jenner Smith Check out Dr. Smith’s presentation here! http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=28675 Understanding how humans impact marine ecosystems is crucial to developing successful conservation strategies that protect the health of our ocean. Discover how Scripps marine ecologist Jennifer Smith and her team are conducting research relevant to solving human-induced problems in environments … Read More
The CAU Slaughterhouse Chronicles
By Adi Khen As a first-time volunteer at the Smith lab, I got to be involved in one of the most exciting parts of data processing: drying, weighing, acidifying and, basically, slaughtering CAUs! Let me explain… CAU stands for Calcification Accretion Unit, or in this case a set of two stacked PVC tiles that are used to measure carbonate … Read More
Learning About Coral Diversity and Conservation on the Great Barrier Reef
By Abby Cannon: This September I left my usual seagrass habitat and helped the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation survey corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Somewhere in the midst of identifying all of the corals within a ten meter by one meter belt at various sites I reached the conclusion that everybody interested in corals needs to visit … Read More
Coralline Algae: The Unsung Architects of Coral Reefs
Maggie Johnson is a third-year PhD student in the Smith Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This is a blog she wrote for the Smithsonian Institution’s Ocean Portal describing her recent cruise to the Southern Line Islands, along with other researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
Smith Lab’s Clint Edwards Publishes New Paper!
Smith Lab’s Clinton Edwards is now a proud author of the Proceedings of the Royal Society Biology! His Master’s thesis: Global assessment of the status of coral reef herbivorous fishes: evidence for fishing effects examines the global status of herbivorous fish and how their presence affects the dynamics of the marine ecosystem. Abstract: Coral reefs are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet due … Read More
An Adventure to the Arabian Peninsula
2nd Year PhD student Maggie Johnson shares with us her amazing experience traveling to Saudi Arabia to help teach students about different ecological adaptations found in the unique environments of the Red Sea regions.
Exploring Coral Reef Threats
Dr. Jennifer Smith and Dr. Nichole Price are featured on CBS 8 San Diego’s Earth 8 with Vanessa Bezic to talk about their research on the threats against coral reefs.
The Grass is Always Greener…
Members of the Smith Lab get to travel the world to conduct their coral reef research, but PhD student Levi Lewis reminds us that when you live in San Diego, life is not too bad.