Our lab in the media
Interviews, articles and other public appreances
Researchers urge reduction in CO2 emissions after study finds time running out to save coral reefs
A Kiwi researcher is calling for countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions after a new study revealed there is only a short amount of time left to save coral reefs.
Victoria University marine biologist Dr Christopher Cornwall and French colleague Dr Steeve Comeau jointly led the international study which examined how coral reefs are likely to react to ocean acidification and warming.
-Newshub, 2021
Fearing Their Kids Will Inherit Dead Coral Reefs, Scientists Are Urging Bold Action
One of the really affecting signs of climate change is the death of coral reefs. Many die as the oceans change. That's prompting scientists to ask what they can learn from certain coral reefs that seem to adapt…
-National Public Radio, 2021
The impact of future ocean acidification on coral reef survival
...results indicate that some species of coralline algae may be capable of naturally acclimating to future ocean acidification.
-Royal Society, 2021
2020 Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Maea MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist
The 2020 Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize Winner is Dr Christopher Cornwall from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, whose research focuses on the impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms, including seaweeds and various calcifying algae and corals.
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Seaweed may be key to protecting coral from climate change - NZ study
A common seaweed could throw a lifeline to precious coral reefs, according to a new study from Victoria University of Wellington….
-RNZ, 2020
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Calcifying reef taxa can gain tolerance to ocean acidification over multiple generations of exposure
Ocean acidification threatens the ability of marine calcifiers to create their calcium carbonate structures. We now know that it is possible for calcareous algae to gain tolerance to ocean acidification over multiple generations of exposure.
-Ecology & Evolution, 2020
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A bad acid trip
Ocean acidifcation, the lesser known relative of global warming, causes particular damage to coral reefs. Christopher Cornwall and Steeve Comeau take us through the algal ‘glue’ at the heart of these organisms and the knock-on effects of ocean acidifcation on a delicate ecosystem…
-Laboratory News, 2019
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'Death blow': Corals, algae don't acclimatise to more acidic seas
Coral and algae species subjected to more acidic seawater showed no acclimatisation to the new conditions for over a year, a new study has found, suggesting that vulnerable reefs may not be able adapt fast enough to cope with climate change.
-The Sydney Morning Herald 2019
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Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for Dr Christopher Cornwall
Dr Christopher Cornwall, Victoria University of Wellington, has been awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for research entitled: 'Physiological and environmental controls of coralline algal calcification under climate change'.
- Royal Society Te Apārangi, 2017
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Collaborative project probes how climate change will affect reef species
NIWA scientists estimated that perhaps 25 per cent or less of the existing cold water coral locations around New Zealand will be able to sustain their growth by 2100 due to ocean acidification.
-NZHerald, 2017
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Understanding how coralline algae responds to climate change
A study carried out by The University of Western Australia at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre in Watermans Bay has revealed for the first time that coralline algae is able to adjust its internal chemistry to respond to rising pH levels in the ocean…
- University of Western Australia 2017
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Crucial ocean-acidification models come up short
As the oceans’ chemistry is altered by rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the response of sea-dwellers such as fish, shellfish and corals is a huge unknown that has implications for fisheries and conservationists alike….
-Daniel Cressey, 2015
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Life in the Slow Lane
The speed of water flowing around coralline algae, a critical member of coral reef and coastal seaweed communities, affects their response to ocean acidification.
-Rina Shaikh-Lesko, April 20214