Lisa Gardiner

Colorado

Writer, Editor and Illustrator at Freelance

writer | educator | scientist | working on a book about fossil reefs for @PrincetonUPress, rep'd by @jkpapin | Also find me at https://t.co/eBYMPgJPDo

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Articles

How natural solutions can help islands survive sea level rise

1 week ago | nationalobserver.com | Lisa Gardiner

Atoll islands are made from sediment produced by corals, clams, snails, and types of algae that secrete calcium carbonate. If conditions are right, fragments of coral skeletons, shells, and other sediments made by marine life are piled up by waves, forming islands large and small.
How Natural Solutions Can Help Islands Survive Sea Level Rise

3 weeks ago | e360.yale.edu | Lisa Gardiner

Scientists have found that atoll islands with healthy forests and coral reefs are more resilient against rising seas. To shore up vulnerable islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, experts are working to restore native trees and seabirds and boost the growth of protective corals. Atoll islands will have a better chance of staying above water in the coming decades if their ecosystems are healthy.
Author - Lisa S. Gardiner - Yale e360

1 month ago | e360.yale.edu | Lisa Gardiner

Lisa S. Gardiner is a Colorado-based science writer, geoscientist, and educator, whose work has appeared in Scientific American, bioGraphic, and The Atlantic, among other publications. Her latest book is Reefs of Time: What Fossils Reveal about Coral Survival.
In Search of the First Animals

1 month ago | nautil.us | Lisa Gardiner

Near the tops of some of the most remote peaks in the Canadian Rockies, well above the tree line, jagged limestone and shale rocks known as the Little Dal Group preserve the remains of 900-million-year-old reefs. Today the sun doesn’t fully set over the fossil reefs on summer nights—they lie just south of the Arctic Circle. But millions of years ago, these reefs grew in a tropical sea not far from the equator.
The Remarkable Healing Power of Seabird Poop for Climate-Stressed Coral Reefs

2 months ago | audubon.org | Lisa Gardiner

When marine ecologist Casey Benkwitt set out to study coral reefs, she never thought she’d spend so much time thinking about bird poop. Now, six years after she started exploring how seabird guano boosts these underwater biodiversity hotspots, she sees how important it is to look for unexpected links in ecology. “It's really intriguing and inspiring to think about how everything is connected,” she says.
Solving the Siberian Crater Mystery

Nov 1, 2024 | nautil.us | Lisa Gardiner

In the northern reaches of Russia, enigmatic craters have begun appearing in broad expanses of windswept tundra. These craters can reach 230 feet across and plunge more than 100 feet deep into dark frozen soils known as permafrost. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . The first crater was discovered by a helicopter pilot in 2014 on the Yamal Peninsula, a finger of frozen land extending into the Arctic Ocean.
Hope for coral reefs after IVF colonies survive record heat event - study

Sep 18, 2024 | theguardian.com | Lisa Gardiner

Young corals bred using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and planted in reefs around the US, Mexico and the Caribbean have surprised scientists, after most survived last year’s record marine heatwave, while older corals struggled. A study has found that 90% of the young IVF-created corals surveyed remained healthy and colourful, holding on to the algae that live within them and supply them with nutrition. In contrast, only about a quarter of older non-IVF corals remained healthy.
An Army of Sea Urchins Could Help Save Coral Reefs

Aug 10, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Lisa Gardiner

This article was originally published by Hakai Magazine. South of Tampa Bay, in Florida, wedged between a quiet neighborhood and a mangrove forest, custom-designed aquariums are home to thousands of sea-urchin larvae that tumble and drift through the water. Scientists with the Florida Aquarium and the University of Florida care for the little urchins, checking them daily under microscopes for signs that they’re maturing into juveniles, which look like miniature versions of the adults.
The Valiant Effort to Restore the Caribbean's Sea Urchins

Aug 7, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Lisa Gardiner

This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. South of Tampa Bay, Florida, wedged between a quiet neighborhood and a mangrove forest, custom-designed aquariums are home to thousands of sea urchin larvae that tumble and drift through the water.
The Very Hungry Urchins | Hakai Magazine

Jul 30, 2024 | hakaimagazine.com | Lisa Gardiner

South of Tampa Bay, Florida, wedged between a quiet neighborhood and a mangrove forest, custom-designed aquariums are home to thousands of sea urchin larvae that tumble and drift through the water. Scientists with The Florida Aquarium and the University of Florida care for the little urchins, checking them daily under microscopes for signs that they’re maturing into juveniles, which look like miniature versions of the adults. Few will make it.