Katelin Magyar | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Katelin Magyar
Title: Linking Patterns of the Ocean to Coral Bleaching Events on The Great Barrier Reef: The Role of Flow and Temperature Variability in Shaping Benthic Communities on Bleached and Healthy Acropora Reefs
Major: Biology
笔补迟丑飞补测:听Public Health
Advisor: Sharon Lynn
Coral Reefs form the largest biological structure on Earth, supporting diverse, complex communities that provide habitats, shoreline protection, and modulate benthic abundance and diversity. Corals also affect human life (e.g. tourism, etc.) and indicate environmental distress. As global warming intensifies, coral reefs experience severe bleaching events which can kill corals and disrupt reef ecosystems. To link patterns of ocean heating to coral bleaching events on Heron Island, I asked three questions: First, is ocean temperature influenced by water depth and air temperature? Second, do benthic communities differ between live and dead corals? Third, is there a difference in the health of Acropora corals in exposed versus protected areas? First, I measured water depth, water temperature, and air temperature at three locations hourly for 12 hours. Secondly, I recorded species abundance and richness for 21 dead and 21 live corals located at these three sites, recording mean algal coverage. Lastly, coral health was assessed using the CoralWatch Chart, both far and close to the shoreline at exposed and sheltered beaches. Air temperature had a positive correlation with ocean temperature, while ocean depth showed no significance. Live corals had greater benthic abundance and diversity than dead coral, and greater algal coverage on dead corals. Lastly, all corals located farther from the shoreline had better overall health ratings. These findings support the hypothesis that rising temperatures associated with global warming contribute to coral bleaching and degradation of reef ecosystems, highlighting the need for stronger coral reef protection and reductions in global warming.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
