More Than Just Coral Glow--2024 Judges' Award Winner, Postdoctoral Participant Category. In Art of Science

Caption: Coral fluorescence is stunning, but it also holds important information about the coral’s physiology
Participant category: Postdoctoral researcher/fellow
Department: Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Coral reefs are degrading worldwide. Monitoring their health includes assessing the photosynthesis performed by microalgae (<10 µ) residing in the coral tissue. However, observing marine photosynthesis at this scale is challenging. To address this, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography developed an underwater microscope for fluorescence imaging-based evaluation of photosynthetic efficiency in corals.