W&M Featured Events

This calendar presented by William & Mary

[PAST EVENT] The remote reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago: their history and future in a changing world

September 5, 2018
7:30pm
Location
VIMS - Seaside Hall (Eastern Shore Laboratory)
40 Atlantic Avenue
Wachapreague, VA 23480Map this location
Access & Features
  • Open to the public

The Chagos Archipelago is a remote British territory covering 208,000 square miles including 55 small islands comprising 0.01% of the total area. The islands support important habitat for birds, coconut crabs, and turtle nesting sites. The largely undamaged coral reefs have some of the highest fish biomass in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos Archipelago was designated as a marine protected area in 2010, the largest global MPA at that time. Repeated coral bleaching has affected the reefs, with an event in 1998 taking 10 years recovery time. More recently a series of bleaching events have occurred in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Research is underway to determine the recovery trajectory of the coral reefs following these bleaching events. Presented by Dr. Ronan Roche, Research Fellow, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Wales, UK.

There is no charge for this presentation. Seating limited to 60 people. 

If you would like to access the seminar on your home computer, please go to:
http://vims.adobeconnect.com/afterhours and log in as a guest at the date-time of the event. 


Contact

Linda Ward 757-787-5816