CISESS Scientists at the International Coral Reef Symposium

International Coral Reef Symposium

© SECC

By Rebecca Wenker

CISESS Scientists Rebecca Wenker and Rasheeda Alexander attended the 16th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Auckland, New Zealand, from 19–24 July 2026, representing the NOAA NCEI Digital Corals team. The symposium hosted more than 2,100 delegates from 90 countries, providing a platform to share the latest research and strengthen partnerships dedicated to protecting global coral reef ecosystems.

Figure 1: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) group photo at the conference.

Wenker co-chaired a session entitled, "The new era of data management: Emerging challenges and solutions needed to share data in a world of expanding data volume growth and resource constraints". She also presented a poster entitled, "Integrating U.S. Coral Reef Data: Building a Comprehensive Visualization Tool from Multiple National Data Streams" about the development of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Data Visualization Tool.

Figure 2: Rebecca Wenker’s Poster

Alexander presented a poster entitled, "Beyond Biological Monitoring: Developing a Real-Time Dashboard for Public Sentiment on Coral Reef Disturbances", assessing public awareness of the connection between coral reefs and high-impact disturbance events.

Figure 3: Rasheeda Alexander’s Poster

Both also staffed the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) booth in the exhibition center, which served as a primary hub for conference networking and provided attendees with CRCP data, publications, funding opportunities, and fellowship information.

Photo credits: Rebecca Wenker and Rasheeda Alexander

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