Another day in paradise. Today marked our third day on Lady Elliot Island, and it’s easy to see that we’re all getting used to this.
Lauren and Sierra gearing up for our reef ecology research project!
Waking up early isn’t a challenge with the bright sun and the cacophony of seabirds, but for once no one is upset, as our first activity is a quick snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.
Scoping out those sea cucumbers!
We’ve been learning that these reef ecosystems are extremely susceptible to temperature change, and that even a single hot day can lead to a bleaching event.
But we’re not supposed to lose all hope! Bleaching is, believe it or not, reversible in the short term – assuming temperatures quickly go back to normal. The rest of the day was given to us as time to collect data for our marine field research projects! For my team, it entailed a lot of coral cuts and careful stepping as we measured sea cucumbers in the reef flats at low tide. What a beautiful place to get our feet wet with some real scientific research.