Jenny Mallon
Breathing life into coral conservation: Reef restoration in a lower oxygen ocean
Abstract
Coral reefs are facing a growing but often overlooked threat—coastal deoxygenation, or declining oxygen levels in seawater. As ocean temperatures rise and pollution increases, oxygen depletion is becoming more frequent, leading to coral stress, bleaching, and even mass die-offs. While scientists know that low oxygen harms corals, it is rarely considered in reef conservation and restoration efforts.
Through the Smith Conservation Fellowship, Jenny Mallon will work with coral reef scientists and conservation practitioners to investigate how deoxygenation impacts corals at different scales. Her research will include collecting dissolved oxygen data across reef conservation sites on the Florida Reef Tract to assess how oxygen loss is affecting coral health. As part of this effort, she will also launch Coral Observer, a new app designed to engage citizen scientists in tracking coral spawning events, helping to fill critical data gaps on coral reproduction. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge science and hands-on conservation, this project will support more effective reef protection and restoration strategies.
Mentors
Dr. Joana Figueiredo at National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University and Dr Mark Ladd, Coral Research and Assessment Lab (CoRAL), Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA
Undergraduate Education
B.Sc Marine Biology, University of St Andrews, Scotland, 2013
Graduate Education
Ph.D. Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Glasgow, 2022
