May 5, 2020 | Bleaching, Global change, Observation
In early 2020, the Great Barrier Reef suffered its third major coral bleaching event in five years due to heat stress. At Lizard Island, bleaching first became noticeable in mid-February. February is normally “wet season”, with clouds and rain that keep the sea... 
Jun 24, 2019 | Biodiversity, Fellowships, Observation, People
Darko Cotoras is the recipient of a 2019 Lizard Island Postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF). He took some time to answer some questions about his work at the Lizard Island Research station and how the fellowship has... 
Feb 13, 2019 | Education, Observation
On the 11th of September my family and I arrived on Lizard Island. To get to the Island we flew on a tiny plane which could only fit 12 people on board. You could also see the captain flying it! The first lizard We arrived at Lizard Island on one side of the island.... 
Dec 12, 2018 | Bleaching, Observation
In 2018 the corals spawned; juvenile corals that settled back after mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017 continued to grow; and many more appeared. Fish populations increased. The resident Lizard Island Research Station Directors Dr Anne Hoggett & Dr Lyle Vail were... 
May 24, 2018 | Observation
In his book Other Minds – the octopus and the evolution of intelligent life Peter Godfrey-Smith goes back 600 million years to find the common ancestor of octopuses and humans. It was probably a simple worm-like creature, living at a time when no organisms had made... 
Jan 31, 2018 | Global change, Observation, Posts
How important is continuing research on the Great Barrier Reef, now that (a) the coral population has been diminished and needs decades without further bleaching or cyclone damage to fully recover; (b) climate science says it is unlikely to have this recovery period...