Could Volcanic Eruptions in the South-West Pacific Save the Great Barrier Reef?

Volcano’s and the ocean have a distinct relationship and new research conducted by the Queensland University of Technology shines light on just how intimate it may be. Volcanic eruptions in the Southwest Pacific Ocean create pumice “rafts” when their lava flows into the ocean and quickly cools. Pieces of this lightweight and extremely porous rock float thousands of miles across the ocean, collecting hitchhikers of all sorts, like coral, algae invertebrates and bivalves. These pieces then get deposited in places like the Great Barrier Reef dispersing new species and fresh organics.  “The pumice raft created after the 2006 Home reef volcano erupted in Tonga initially formed at least 440 square kilometer floating mass,” said Dr. Scott Bryan. Unfortunately not all the marine life that is introduced can be good for the native reef. None of this particular research marked any potential marine pests, but it gives a great understanding to the distribution of marine life throughout ocean waters. Read more here!