Scientists are back


In January 2010, CSM sent two scientists aboard the research vessel TARA.

Their mission? To study the coral reefs of Djibouti…

After three weeks spent in the Gulf of Tadjourah, Senior Scientists Drs Stephanie Reynaud and Didier Zoccola of the CSM, an organisation recognised internationally for its research on coral reefs, returned to the laboratory with a large collection of samples that are now being analysed.

The expedition “Tara Oceans” (www.taraexpeditions.org), a project undertaken during the international year of biodiversity, seeks to deepen mankind’s understanding of biodiversity in the oceans. This expedition, financed in part by “la maison agnes b” will explore the oceans for three years to study plankton and coral reefs.

Sharing the schooner Tara with four other scientists, the two specialists from CSM were able to investigate the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on the coral reefs of Djibouti. Initial indications are that these reefs, which were studied twelve years ago by David Obura (who was therefore present on the expedition), show little sign of climate change induced degradation.

This is good news and gives hope to the scientific community that expeditions such as Tara Oceans can discover the secret to the vitality of these reefs. Now back in the Monaco the CSM senior scientists will work with the CSM teams, led by Dr. Sylvie Tambutté and Christine Ferrier-Pagès, to study the interactions of corals with "good" bacteria and the complex structure of the coral skeleton. Meanwhile, Tara has plotted a course through the Indian Ocean and will undertake two more expeditions this year to St. Brandon (Mauritius) and Mayotte. For more information visit the Tara website.

	Scientific team: (from left to right): Dr. Andrew Baker (Miami University), Dr. David Obura (CORDIO, Kenya), Dr. Francesca Benzoni (chef de mission Université de Milan), Dr. Ameer Abdulla (IUCN, Genève), Dr. Stéphanie Reynaud (CSM) and Dr. Didier Zoccola (CSM) (photo credit: Francesca Benzoni).