Coral reefs are sometimes called the rainforests of the oceans and support an estimated 25% of all known marine species, but they, and the sponges that inhabit them, are unusually susceptible to changes in the waters and the local microbial community. Coral bleaching is just one of the negative effects of changing world.

However, teams from a Brazilian University have launched a project to learn more about the bacteria from different regions and different species. They hope to produce a probiotic cocktail and help troubled ecosystems to recover.

But before the team could embark on the mission to cure the world’s coral, the samples needed to be collected. And that meant offshore, deep-water operations.

Guests

Dermeval Almeida, Senior Project Manager, Fugro

Raquel Peixoto, Associate Professor – Marine Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Yasmin Sodre, Proposal Coordinator, Fugro

Professor Torsten Thomas, Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales Sydney

Resources

For more information on the Fugro Aquarius vessel that hosted the expedition, click here

Partner

Fugro is the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Through integrated data acquisition, analysis and advice, Fugro unlocks insights from Geo-data to help clients design, build and operate their assets in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner.

The post #155 Coral and the Hunt for a Cure first appeared on Engineering Matters.