I'm currently doing a cotutelle PhD between James Cook University (JCU, Australia) and UCLouvain (Belgium). The aim of the research project is to inform the recovery and restoration of tropical seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) using a biophysical modelling approach.
During my thesis, I will use the Second-generation Louvain-la-Neuve Ice-ocean Model (SLIM - https://www.slim-ocean.be/) to simulate the ocean circulation in the GBR. I will then combine it with a particle-tracker model to assess seagrass dispersal. The collaboration with JCU will allow me to go on the field and evaluate seagrass parameters to define a complex and precise biological behaviour in the biophysical model.
Seagrass dispersal has never been assessed before at the scale of the entire Great Barrier Reef. The outputs of this PhD will inform the evidence base for seagrass management and restoration in the GBR and tropical ecosystems globally by producing new information on dispersal and connectivity processes that influence natural recovery. This information includes identification of suitable meadows for natural recovery, meadows isolated and at risk and best contributor meadows for the network.
