Nanoscale carbonate-oxalate mineralogy from the Great Barrier Reef: understanding pollution and climate change impacts during coral and sedi

As part of a broad study centred on the Low Isles reef near Port Douglas, we are studying the mineralogical, geochemical, and microbial populations in sediment and corals in order to better understand how organic minerals form in reef environments, their prominence, and the effects that climate change is having on the mineralogy and microorganisms present on the reef. By characterising the minerals present in the corals and sediment, we hope to for the first time develop an understanding of how susceptible certain corals are to acidification and rising sea temperatures.