Roger Williams University sponsors workshop aimed at applying latest research on local corals toward solutions for declining tropical coral reef health around the globe.
BRISTOL, R.I. – With Roger Williams University’s marine scientist Koty Sharp at the helm, 20 leading coral reef scientists from around the United States met at RWU last week to explore ways research on non-tropical corals in New England waters can lead to solutions for tropical coral reef health across the globe.
When imagining the depths along Rhode Island’s coasts, not many realize it is home to temperate corals including Astrangia poculata, the Northern Star Coral which inhabits waters along the entire East Coast. Sharp has been researching this coral’s microbiome for several years, bringing her work to the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, last month where she shared her latest science with more than 3,000 coral reef scientists and practitioners discussing coral reef health status, tools and solutions geared towards conservation strategies.