Anthropogenic stressors are increasingly impacting marine environments, often with two or more stressors occurring simultaneously. For example, ocean warming caused by climate change and the proliferation of artificial structures and increased pollution from rapid urbanisation are major stressors to coastal habitats around the globe. However, most studies continue to focus on the impacts of a single stressor, which ignores the potential interactive effects of stressors. We are working to determine the impacts of emerging stressors on coastal habitats, and also how multiple stressors affect the resilience and functioning of marine and freshwater communities.
Current research projects:
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Increasingly, marine environments are exposed to multiple stressors, which may interact to produce unexpected effects. These combined effects could be additive, synergistic or antagonistic. Our research is looking into how multiple stressors affect the resilience of aquatic communities to better predict changes in diversity and functioning in marine and freshwater systems.
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Estuaries are important but vulnerable habitats due to their proximity to human populations and connection to both freshwater and marine systems. We're investigating the effects of contaminants in estuaries to inform management strategies and identify areas of concern.