Back to the future on the Reef
Guy Marion is a man on a mission.
The PhD student from the University of Queensland has developed a technique that can chart the history of coral degradation over hundreds of years, giving scientists an insight into the key factors that effect changes to coral reef environments.
The geochemical tracer, known as Skeletal d15N, can track historical nutrient sources and pollution and, combined with other tracers, then develop a record of those pollutants.
Guy (pictured right) hopes his study into water quality on the Great Barrier Reef, which matches skeletal d15N with other historical records, will become a blueprint for researchers investigating the impact of human activities on coastal coral reefs throughout the world.
Guy is using the technique in his PhD thesis to examine the effects of human activities on water quality and the health of inshore and offshore coral reefs in the Mackay-Whitsunday region.
His work involves excursions to the reef to extract coral cores and fragments and then time in the laboratory uncovering the chemical structure of the organic material trapped in the coral skeleton.
Guy’s research is being funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the PADI Foundation and he is also supported by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship.
The 24-year-old American-born Stanford University graduate is studying under the supervision of world-renowned coral reef expert, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, head of the Centre of Marine Studies at the University of Queensland.
His co-supervisor is international geochemistry expert, Professor Malcolm McCulloch from the Australian National University in Canberra.
Guy began developing his investigative technique in 2001 in Bali working on a project with ecological anthropologist Professor Steve Lansing from the University of Arizona and his Stanford University supervisor, Professor Rob Dunbar.
“My contribution was to figure out a way of looking at water quality over a number of decades and to then work out whether excess fertilisers washing out to sea in agricultural wastewater in Bali were damaging to the reef.
“They were. And the findings from that project became part of a policy recommendation to reduce fertiliser usage throughout Bali.”
After graduation Guy headed to Australia in 2003, attracted by the Great Barrier Reef and the international reputation of researchers working on projects which foster the integrity of the Reef.
Guy’s work is making waves in the scientific community. In June he was awarded the prestigious $10 000 International Society for Reef Studies and the Ocean Conservancy Fellowship for 2004.
And researchers working in Queensland, Solomon Islands, Fiji and the US also have shown interest in putting Guy’s technique to use in their studies.
The young scientist’s passion for coral reefs goes well beyond his current research.
“I would like to set up a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of coral reefs through the integration of sophisticated geochemical investigation and clear communication of methods and results.
“This will give managers and politicians the solid data they need to make the right policy decisions.”
Last reviewed 19 January 2006
