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Thomas received his PhD from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2017. Since joining the ARC COE for Coral Reef Studies at UWA, his research has focused on understanding mechanisms of the sensitivity, and resilience, of coral calcification to ocean acidification and warming. Thomas is employing novel techniques based on the Raman scattering of lasers focused onto coral skeletons to quantify the chemical conditions under which the skeleton was accreted. Analyses of both laboratory-cultured and wild corals are providing insight into the relationships between seawater conditions (including pH and temperature) and the corals’ calcifying internal fluid that dictates the rate of skeletal growth. This information is critical for understanding how coral calcification is responding to the rapidly changing temperature and chemistry of our oceans.

Selected publications:

DeCarlo T.M. & A.L. Cohen (2017). Dissepiments, density bands and signatures of thermal stress in Porites skeletons. Coral Reefs.

DeCarlo T.M., Cohen A.L., Wong G.T.F., Davis K.A., Lohmann P., & K. Soong (2017). Mass coral mortality under local amplification of 2 °C ocean warming. Scientific Reports 7, 44586.

DeCarlo T.M., Cohen A.L., Wong G.T.F., Shiah F.K., Lentz S.J., Davis K.A., Shamberger K.E.F., & P. Lohmann (2017). Community production modulates coral reef pH and the sensitivity of ecosystem calcification to ocean acidification. Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans 122, 745-761.

Alpert A.E., Cohen A.L., Oppo D.W., DeCarlo T.M., Gaetani G.A., Hernandez-Delgado E.A., Winter A., & M.E. Gonneea (2017). Twentieth century warming of the tropical Atlantic captured by Sr-U paleothermometry. Paleoceanography 32, 146-160.

Lentz S.J., Davis K.A., Churchill J.H., & T.M. DeCarlo (2017) Coral reef drag coefficients – water depth dependence. Journal of Physical Oceanography.

DeCarlo T.M., Gaetani G.A., Cohen A.L., Foster G.L., Alpert A.E., & J. Stewart (2016). Coral Sr-U Thermometry. Paleoceanography 31, 626-638.

Holcomb M., DeCarlo T.M., & M. McCulloch (2016). Factors affecting B/Ca ratios in synthetic aragonite. Chemical Geology 437, 67-76.

Alpert A.E., Cohen A.L., Oppo W.D., DeCarlo T.M., Gove J.M., & C.W. Young (2016). Comparison of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature variability and trends with Sr/Ca records from multiple corals. Paleoceanography 31, 252-265.

DeCarlo T.M., Gaetani G.A., Holcomb M. & A.L. Cohen (2015). Experimental determination of factors controlling U/Ca of aragonite precipitated from seawater: implications for interpreting coral skeleton. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 162, 151-165.

DeCarlo T.M., Cohen A.L., Barkley H.C., Cobban Q., Young C., Shamberger K.E., Brainard R.E., & Y. Golbuu. (2015). Coral macrobioerosion is accelerated by ocean acidification and nutrients. Geology 43, 7-10.

DeCarlo T.M., Karnauskas K.B., Davis K.A., & G.T.F. Wong. (2015). Climate modulates internal wave activity in the Northern South China Sea. Geophysical Research Letters 42, 831-838.

Barkley H.C., Cohen A.L., Golbuu Y., Starczak V.R., DeCarlo T.M., & K.E.F. Shamberger (2015). Changes in coral reef communities across a natural gradient in seawater pH. Science Advances 1, e1500328

Holcomb M., DeCarlo T.M., Schoepf V., Dissard D., Tanaka K., & M. McCulloch. (2015). Cleaning and pre-treatment procedures for biogenic and synthetic calcium carbonate powders for determination of elemental and boron isotopic compositions. Chemical Geology 398, 11-21.