Ocean Science and Engineering Students Take on Coral Cooling Challenge

Coral reefs are home to about a quarter of all marine life. They support millions of jobs around the world and protect coastal communities from storms. Scientists report they're also in the midst of a crisis, with a fourth mass bleaching event spreading around the world.

Bleaching happens when ocean waters heat up, causing corals to expel the colorful algae that live in their tissues. It can lead to disease and death for coral, wiping out critical and complex marine ecosystems.

Four Georgia Tech Ocean Science and Engineering (OSE) Ph.D. students have spent the last few months working on creative ways to prevent bleaching by cooling the water around coral reefs. They presented their ideas in late October to marine biologists and conservations in the Florida Keys as part of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation's Coral Reef Thermal Stress Design Thinking Challenge & Workshop.

Read about the team's coral-cooling solution on the College of Engineering website.

Ocean science and engineering Ph.D. students, left to right, Kelly Lumpkin, David Clark, Skylar Lama, Luisa Lopera developed a system to cool the water around coral by drawing up and circulating colder water from 150 meters below the ocean's surface. They were one of four teams invited to devise a cooling system and present their idea to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. (Photo Courtesy: Skylar Lama)