Scott Smithers
- scott.smithers@jcu.edu.au
- Professor
Projects
3
Publications
25
Awards
0
Biography
Scott Smithers is a geomorphologist within the College of Science and Engineering.
Scott completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Wollongong before beginning his research on coral reefs in his Honours year under the supervision of Professor Colin Woodroffe. Honours research focused on the surficial sediments and lagoonal sedimentation rates at Australia's only true coral atoll - the Cocos Keeling Islands. A PhD followed which examined the records of sea level preserved in the skeletons of corals known as 'microatolls'. Carbonate production, reef growth and sea level remain key research interests. Scott moved to James Cook University in 1994 to take advantage of its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the community of world class coral reef scientists located in Townsville.
Scott is currently the co-vice chair of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) Working Group on ‘Reef and reef landform geomorphology: responses to climatic and environmental change’, and a member of ReefBudget - a Leverhulme Trust International Research Network ‘Developing rapid carbonate budget assessment protocols for coral reefs’.
Research
Research Interests
Since locating to Townsville I have continued my research on the Holocene development of coral reefs, including investigations of the impacts of environmental change on modern coral reef systems, and the recovery and interpretation of records of environmental change preserved within coral skeletons and reef deposits. Key areas of research include: 1) understanding spatial and temporal patterns and controls of reef growth and carbonate production; 2) the reconstruction of records of environmental change from coral skeletons, reef framework and sedimentary deposits as a context for understanding contemporary changes; and 3) understanding the geomorphological development and morphodynamics of coral reef islands. Unsurprisingly a large proportion of my research is focused on the Great Barrier Reef, but my research includes reefs in the Pacific (e.g. Torres Strait, Kiribati, PNG) and Indian Oceans (Maldives, Chagos, Singapore), as well as in the Caribbean Sea (Bahamas, Bonaire, Belize).
In addition to reef research I am also actively involved in projects examining tropical coasts more generally, fluvial and catchment studies, and geochemical and sedimentological reconstructions of paleoenvironmental conditions.
Projects
Research Data
Teaching
Research Advisor Accreditation
Advisor Type
Mentor