Research Projects

On going Projects

SeaChange

The topic of “Chaire Professeur Junior” I was awarded to work at the UMR Entropie, IRD in New Caledonia is on the study of the resilience of corals to climate change and anthropogenic stressors.

Tara Coral

A follow up of the Tara Pacific expedition, the Tara Coral expedition aim to understand the resistance and resilience of corals in the Coral Triangle under climate change. For 18 months, starting July 2026, the Tara schooner will visit 10 sites in the coral triangle, from Papua New Guinea to Malaysia. At each sites, the diversity and structure of the reef will be studied using state-of-the-art techniques such as eDNA and photogrammetry, from the microbes to the macroorganisms. Corals from three species, Pocillopora, Porites and Millepora are sampled and their resistance to heat stress is tested using the CBASS approaches. The most and least resistant specimens will then be studied in depth using multi-omics techniques.

Past Projects

Ocean Acidification and the Shikine CO2 Seep

We study the physiological effects of ocean acidification on corals and their ecosystems. We use a combination of laboratory experiment and use natural analogues to study the chronic effects of OA and the ecosystem levels effects. See also the ICONA project for the international CO₂ Natural Analogue Network.

Tara Jambio Microplastic Joint Survey

Tara Ocean Japan and Jambio collaborate to study the microplastic pollution in Japanese coastal waters and to increase awareness on the environmental threats that the ocean is facing.

Tara Pacific

From east to west and from north to south, Tara criss-crossed the Pacific Ocean to explore the hidden diversity of coral reefs and gain a better understanding of their capacity to adapt to climate change. From the Panama Canal to the archipelago of Japan (2016-2017), from New Zealand to China (2017-2018), the schooner traversed 11 time zones of the world’s largest ocean, and visit the most remote islands and reefs. The expedition is lead by Serge Planes (CNRS researcher) and Denis Allemand (CSM Monaco) and involves more than 100 laboratories across the world.