Resilient Reefs

WHOI post-doctoral scholar Kathryn Shamberger (left) and an employee of the Palau International Coral Reef Center collect a water sample during field research in November 2013. Shamberger is part of a study conducted by WHOI biogeochemist Anne Cohen on Palau’s coral reefs, which thrive in water that’s naturally more acidic than normal seawater. This research helps scientists understand how corals have become resilient to thermal stress and ocean acidification—and whether corals of the future will be able to adapt.(Photo by Ari Daniel Shapiro, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)