photography in the news
My photography has been featured in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, National Geographic Instagram, and more. I am always happy to share imagery (photography or video) for your story. Please get in touch if you want to use any of the imagery featured on this site.
Research updates & research in the news
Expedition to Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TRIP TO HAWAII INSTITUTE OF MARINE BIOLOGY
In September 2022, myself and Barott Lab graduate student Ben Glass travelled to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) to continue our long-term sampling of bleaching-suscpetible and bleaching-resistant coral colonies. With support from local collaborators (Coral Resilience Lab) and Dr. Beth Lenz (University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program), we collected data on benthic composition, bleaching severity and prevalence, and samples for physiological analyses including metabolic rates and coral health. We were also able to assess the bleaching thresholds of colonies of two coral species (Montipora captitata and Porites compressa) with known bleaching histories. This involved using a controlled heat stress assay, sensu Voolstra et al. 2020, to experimentally determine thermal tolerance.
In September 2022, myself and Barott Lab graduate student Ben Glass travelled to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) to continue our long-term sampling of bleaching-suscpetible and bleaching-resistant coral colonies. With support from local collaborators (Coral Resilience Lab) and Dr. Beth Lenz (University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program), we collected data on benthic composition, bleaching severity and prevalence, and samples for physiological analyses including metabolic rates and coral health. We were also able to assess the bleaching thresholds of colonies of two coral species (Montipora captitata and Porites compressa) with known bleaching histories. This involved using a controlled heat stress assay, sensu Voolstra et al. 2020, to experimentally determine thermal tolerance.
EnGaging women and underrepresented minorities in coral reef research
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During the summer semester (June-July 2022), I hosted local high school student Dakota Whitman from William W. Bodine High School in the Barott Lab for 4 weeks as part of the Penn Learning Experience in Natural Sciences (LENS) program. Penn LENS is a programfor engaging local URM Philadelphia public high school girls in research. Dakota worked with samples from Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef to determine if ocean acidification influences skeletal morphology.
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Research highlighted in the Philadelphia inquirer
PRIZEWINNING PHOTO BY PENN BIOLOGIST CALLED METAPHOR FOR ‘SPIRALING CRISIS’ IN THE OCEAN
While on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for a three-month research project this year, University of Pennsylvania biologist Kristen Brown had time for fun as well, snorkeling in the azure waters of tiny Heron Island. But even that leisure activity ended up serving the cause of science. One morning in February, the postdoctoral researcher photographed a school of fish in a mesmerizing spiral formation. The resulting image won first prize in an international science photo contest.
To Brown, her image is a visual metaphor for a “spiraling crisis” unfolding in the world’s oceans, wrought by overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The judges of the competition, sponsored by BMC Ecology and Evolution, agreed. Josef Settele, a senior editorial board member of the London-based journal, wrote: “Kristen Brown’s striking image is a symbol for the need for concentrated efforts to manage biodiversity loss and set conservation priorities.”
Climate change was the subject of Brown’s research on the island. Working with researchers from other institutions, she studied the ability of coral to withstand rising levels of acidity in the ocean, caused by carbon dioxide emissions that become dissolved in the water.
The fish that she saw while snorkeling, called jack fish, appear abundant in her photo. But such populations are becoming rarer with the climate-related decline in coral reefs, which are a rich source of habitat and food for marine creatures, she said.
While on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for a three-month research project this year, University of Pennsylvania biologist Kristen Brown had time for fun as well, snorkeling in the azure waters of tiny Heron Island. But even that leisure activity ended up serving the cause of science. One morning in February, the postdoctoral researcher photographed a school of fish in a mesmerizing spiral formation. The resulting image won first prize in an international science photo contest.
To Brown, her image is a visual metaphor for a “spiraling crisis” unfolding in the world’s oceans, wrought by overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The judges of the competition, sponsored by BMC Ecology and Evolution, agreed. Josef Settele, a senior editorial board member of the London-based journal, wrote: “Kristen Brown’s striking image is a symbol for the need for concentrated efforts to manage biodiversity loss and set conservation priorities.”
Climate change was the subject of Brown’s research on the island. Working with researchers from other institutions, she studied the ability of coral to withstand rising levels of acidity in the ocean, caused by carbon dioxide emissions that become dissolved in the water.
The fish that she saw while snorkeling, called jack fish, appear abundant in her photo. But such populations are becoming rarer with the climate-related decline in coral reefs, which are a rich source of habitat and food for marine creatures, she said.
This article was written by Tom Avril of the Philadelphia Inquirer and was published on August 17 2021.
Awarded Overall winner and best image for ‘Conservation Biology’ in the BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition
The inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition attracted entries from talented ecologists and evolutionary biologists worldwide. Together, these photos beautifully capture biodiversity, how it arose and why we should conserve it. This editorial celebrates the winning images as selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal’s editorial board.
The images and descriptions have been published in BMC Ecology and Evolution. DOI: https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-021-01886-7
“Corals and climate change” module for students (ages 12-15)
In July 2021, I travelled to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey to present a hands on module for students in the Junior Marine Biologists Camp, Center for Aquatic Sciences (CAS) Adventure Aquarium. CAS is a Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centre that works with federal partners to educate and engage the public in protecting coastal ecosystems and provides intensive science access to inner-city youth, underrepresented minorities, and underserved families in Camden and Philadelphia.
Coasts drown as coral reefs collapse under warming & acidification
A new study shows the coastal protection coral reefs currently provide will start eroding by the end of the century, as the world continues to warm and the oceans acidify.
A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Sophie Dove from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at The University of Queensland (Coral CoE at UQ) investigated the ability of coral reef ecosystems to retain deposits of calcium carbonate under current projections of warming and ocean acidification. Calcium carbonate is what skeletons are made of—and it dissolves under hot, acidic conditions. Marine animals that need calcium carbonate for their skeletons or shells are called ‘calcifiers’. Hard corals have skeletons, which is what gives reefs much of their three-dimensional (3D) structure. It’s this structure that helps protect coasts—and those living on the coasts—from the brunt of waves, floods and storms. Without coral reefs the coasts ‘drown’. This study has been published in Communications Earth & Environment. DOI: 10.1038/s43247-020-00054-x |
Improving estimates of coral reef carbonate budgets using habitat-specific rates
The growth and persistence of coral reefs is dependent on the positive balance between calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production and erosion—often referred to as a ‘carbonate budget’. Carbonate budgets are increasingly being used as a key metric to establish reef condition.
In our recently published study, we quantified the biogenic carbonate production, erosion and dissolution within and between five distinct habitats of Heron Reef on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Our study has improved on past estimates by: 1. Investigating multiple habitats discretely; and 2. Directly quantifying habitat-specific growth, erosion and dissolution of individual organisms. This study has been published in the journal of Limnology and Oceanography DOI: 10.1002/lno.11609 |
Southernmost observation of a juvenile bumphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes, 1840)
The bumphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum, is an iconic and ecologically significant species that is vulnerable to extinction. Although the Great Barrier Reef provides extensive habitat for this species, the scarcity of juvenile fish in this region may suggest that these populations rely on colonisation by adults from further north, rather than local larval recruitment. Consequently, B. muricatum populations exhibit the strongest latitudinal gradient of any parrotfish on the Great Barrier Reef. Here, we review all records of B. muricatum from the southern Great Barrier Reef and report a new observation of a juvenile at Heron Reef. This is the southernmost report of a juvenile for this species. Given its size (standard length, 25–30 cm), this individual is likely to have settled as a larval recruit in the relative vicinity of Heron Reef, rather than migrating from a more northern site on the Great Barrier Reef or beyond.
This article has been published in the Australian Journal of Zoology - https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO20029.
This article has been published in the Australian Journal of Zoology - https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO20029.
Can Sea UrchinS Save Coral Reefs from Algae Invasion?
In a session at the ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Puerto Rico, scientists discussed how to improve coral reef resilience through transformational science.
The session resulted from a recent report reviewing the state of the science on coral reef interventions. Currently, 23 interventions are being implemented across the globe in genetic, ecological, and environmental disciplines with varying success. Scientists, however, may find answers in the local reefs of Puerto Rico where successful interventions are taking place.
This contribution is part of the Journalist for a Day program for the 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting and has been published in Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lob.10319)
The session resulted from a recent report reviewing the state of the science on coral reef interventions. Currently, 23 interventions are being implemented across the globe in genetic, ecological, and environmental disciplines with varying success. Scientists, however, may find answers in the local reefs of Puerto Rico where successful interventions are taking place.
This contribution is part of the Journalist for a Day program for the 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting and has been published in Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lob.10319)
Photo Credit: Stacey Williams, ISER Caribe
Mutually assured destruction in heated coral-algae war
Global warming and acidifying oceans are creating an intense competition between coral and algae that both are set to lose. University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences’ Dr Kristen Brown said it was previously thought that human-induced stressors like climate change would result in an algal takeover, but experiments conducted on the southern Great Barrier Reef have suggested otherwise. “Coral and macroalgae principally compete through direct physical or chemical mechanisms, and more algae can mean an increase in coral bleaching and mortality,” Dr Brown said. “So far, our warming and acidifying oceans have led to a shift in competitive advantage between macroalgae and coral, generally in favour of algal species,” she said. The research has been published in Coral Reefs (DOI: 10.1007/s00338-019-01775-y). Article published in UQ News, Physorg.com, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies March 2019 |
won the Diversity Journal Award in the area of coral reef research (oral) AT AMSA 2018
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This year, I attended the Australian Marine Sciences Association conference for the second time- and my last time as a student. The conference was held in Adelaide.
At this year's conference, there was a dedicated session on Coral Reef research, where many interesting topics from coral-fish interactions to baby Crown-of-thorns-starfish were presented. The session was chaired by PhD candidate Tory Chase and Prof Morgan Pratchett. I presented on my recent publication on the spatio-temporal dynamics of coral-algal interactions on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Much to my surprise, I was received the Diversity Journal Award in the area of coral reef research for the best student oral presentation! What an honour. Next year's conference will be held in Fremantle, WA and I am hoping to attend as an ECR, and give back by volunteering to assess the student presentations. |
Shortlisted for the BRITISH PHycological Society Hilda Canter-Lund Award
This image titled, 'Chlorodesmis fastigiata on a coral reef' was shortlisted for the British Phycological Society's Hilda Canter-Lund Photography award.
Chlorodesmis fastigiata settles on top of a coral. While the role of tropical macroalgae on coral reef ecosystems is debated, the interactions between macroalgae and coral are believed to play fundamental role in the degradation of coral reefs. This photo was taken in February 2016 in the Heron Island lagoon of the southern Great Barrier Reef, while investigating the dynamics of coral-algal interactions on coral reef ecosystems. Photo published by The British Phycological Society June 2018 |
Combination of light & TEMPERATURE naturally regulate algal abundance
A two-year study has found the amount of algae on a coral reef is influenced by interaction between light and temperature, as well as by human impacts.
Global studies have long linked human activities to an increase in algae and the decline in reef-building corals, but have not focused on the impact of natural changes in the environment. A team of scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoralCoE) and Global Change Institute (GCI) based at The University of Queensland (UQ) have tracked environmental conditions, reef composition and coral-algal competition across Heron Island, on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Article published in UQ News, Physorg.com, My Science, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies May 2018 |
Isolated coral reefs not immune to local human activity
Marine scientists at The University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute have shown that local human activities negatively influence coral reef ecosystems in a series of complex interactions, some of which are poorly understood by science.
A detailed underwater study was undertaken at 26 sites across the Maldives, south-west of India, as part of a XL Catlin Seaview Survey. PhD candidate Kristen Brown said although marine scientists already knew human activity placed pressure on coastal reef systems, the extent to which these impacts were translated to impacts on coral reefs via changes to coral-algal competition had rarely been investigated. Article published by Global Change Institute September 2017 |
Field trials: that sinking feeling
For the past few years, I have been working with the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. This unique coral reef monitoring program launched in 2012 and has since visited over 30 countries, recording the baseline condition of coral reef ecosystems. Using a custom camera system attached to diver propulsion vehicles, we collect imagery on two-kilometre scales to establish species composition by means of semi-automated technology, without compromising the detail achieved through conventional methods. During a time of rapid ecosystem change, this type of survey is integral in monitoring how coral reef ecosystems change over time.
Lateral article edited by Edited by Andrew Katsis April 2018 Collateral podcast produced by Sunsanee McDonnell April 2018 |
Global Warming’s Toll on Coral Reefs: As if They’re ‘Ravaged by War’
Imagery used to illustrate article published in the NY Times by Kendra Pierre-Louis and Brad Plumer January 2018
A sea turtle in the Indian Ocean amid coral that succumbed to a 2016 bleaching event. Credit: Kristen Brown/ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
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Australian Coral Reef Society Newsletter 2016
Algae on the reef: Gauging reef health by overlooked species
As I sit down to write on Day 9 of the expanded scientific Catlin Seaview Survey expedition, I honestly don’t know where to start, as we have had such a remarkable time in this country. When not watching manta rays twirl up an imaginary spiral staircase from the depths, or admiring the flattest waters I have ever seen where the sky dissolves into the ocean, the Catlin Ocean Scholars have been afforded a unique and valuable opportunity to complete supplementary field for our PhD candidacies at The University of Queensland. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey March 2015 |
Google Trekking in Chagos
A Google Trekker unit has accompanied the Catlin Seaview Survey team to the Chagos Archipelago. You may have already experienced imagery that has been taken by Trekker if you’ve taken a virtual walk along the base camp of Mt. Everest, or a stroll along the edge of the Grand Canyon – Trekker goes where Google’s StreetView cars can’t go and is responsible for capturing some of the most unique imagery in all of StreetView. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey February 2015 |
Reflections on the Solomon Islands
It is with a heavy heart the Catlin Seaview Survey Shallow Reef team ends their final Coral Triangle deployment for this year in the Solomon Islands. In my opinion, there is no better place than here to end our challenging and rewarding Coral Triangle campaign. The extreme beauty above water is enough to make you want to stay, come back, explore for years, without even mentioning the extraordinary coral cays and fringing reefs visible at the surface through the immaculate crystal clear waters. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey November 2014 |
Meeting a local Bunaken collaborator
The Catlin Seaview Survey is in the midst of surveying the spectacular Bunaken National Park, in the heart of the Coral Triangle. The shallow reef team is fortunate enough to be joined by local collaborators including an undergraduate student, Jacqueline, from Sam Ratulangi University in Manado. Jacqueline was born and raised on the island of Bunaken in the middle of the marine park, which the team surveyed today, even visiting her favorite dive site, Fukui. I was lucky enough to dive this site, and it was some of the most stunning diving I have ever experienced. Fukui is particularly exceptional in topography, coral cover, and fish abundance. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey October 2014 |
The Mangroves of Manado
The Catlin Seaview Survey begins its latest Coral Triangle expedition in Manado at the heart of North Sulawesi, one the world’s marine biodiversity hotspots. The mangrove forests, or mangals, seen along much of the shorelines are often overlooked but are an integral piece of the entire ecosystem. North Sulawesi is home to the majority of Indonesia’s remaining mangals, with the Manado area harboring some of highest diversity of the species in the world including Rhizaophora, “true mangroves”, and Sonneratia. The synergistic relationship between the mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs may very well contribute to the pronounced health of this region. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey September 2014 |
26 transects and 50km of coral reef surveys
The Catlin Seaview Survey Shallow Reef team has just anchored again in Dili which marks the end of our deployment in Timor Leste. The team covered approximately 500 nautical miles on the Sundancer NT, completing 26 transects and surveying nearly 50 kilometres of coral reef across 9 different regions. Highlights for the expedition team was working in the Oecusse region, the Timorese enclave nestled in between mountains of Indonesian West Timor, where we completed the first large scale benthic baseline coral reef study on the province facing future development. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey August 2014 |
Impressions of a Catlin Oceans Scholar: Kristen
As a new addition to the Catlin Seaview Survey, I feel very lucky to have joined the team on the first deployment in the Coral Triangle at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines aboard the PY Atlantis Azores. The natural park is home to three atolls; we've concentrated on the North Atoll and South Atoll thus far. Both coral atolls revealed immediately to the team that the reputation of the area is deserved, the diversity and abundance of corals and marine life here is fantastic. Written by Kristen Brown Published by XL Catlin Seaview Survey March 2014 |