What drives cold pulses at remote tropical reefs?

Coral reefs are susceptible to thermal-induced bleaching during ocean warming events, although some reefs are more susceptible than others and this is an active research field within coral reef ecology. Internal waves could provide the answer. Similarly to surface waves that break on beaches, sub-surface (internal) waves are a common feature that drives upwelling on coral reefs that benefit reef ecosystems during thermal stress events by either their cooling effect, or the delivery of energetic subsidies that support reef growth. However, spatially scarce in-situ temperature data around tropical islands prevent us from studying internal wave behavior in detail. This project will address this knowledge gap by developing state-of-the-art ocean models to simulate internal wave-driven upwelling patterns around 39 tropical Pacific islands to understand why some islands are more resilient to coral reef bleaching than others, and importantly, the vulnerability of these island to projected climate change. The models will reveal if there are predictable patterns in internal wave-driven upwelling, why, and through new climate change projections determine how these patterns will change in the future to impact upon coral reef communities.