What causes coral reefs to collapse? A palaeoclimatic perspective

Dr Benjamin Petrick presents new biomarker temperature records to investigate the formation, rise, and collapse of coral reefs in the past, including the Great Barrier Reef and a Miocene barrier reef. The seminar examines how these records, matched with ecosystem change data, reveal the complex and sometimes surprising relationship between temperature change and coral reef survival.

Dr Benjamin Petrick is a researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at UCL. His work focuses on palaeoclimatology, biogeochemistry, and past ecosystem change, using biomarker and sediment records to investigate the climatic drivers of coral reef development and collapse. He studies critical periods in Earth’s history, including the formation of the Great Barrier Reef and Miocene barrier reefs, to understand how temperature and environmental change shaped reef ecosystems. His research provides insights into the complex interactions between climate, oceanography, and marine ecosystems over geological timescales.