Using intuition and AI to save coral reefs | Dr. Annalisa Bracco | TEDxAlexanderPark

Annalisa is a physical oceanographer and a computer scientist with a passion for sailing. She considers that among the most fascinating ocean environments, there are coral reefs.
Today, many reefs are facing the risk of extinction. But not all. Those that remain relatively healthy are often also biodiverse. Why are some reefs more resilient than others?
In this talk she discusses how artificial intelligence used with some physical intuition can help us figure out what may influence this resiliency for reefs in the Coral Triangle. Being well connected to many other reefs is key to having a better chance at surviving to a fast changing climate (and it may be true not just for corals!). Once we know which reefs are central to this survival ability, we can use novel technologies to monitor their health by hearing the sound they make. Annalisa Bracco is a Professor and Associate Chair for Research at Georgia Tech. She is an oceanographer and a climate scientist, and uses computer models as primary tool for her research. Annalisa has worked on many interdisciplinary projects with scientists and engineers from all disciplines and all continents. She has received the American Meteorological Society’s Nicholas P. Fofonoff Award for her contributions to understanding the coupling of ocean dynamics with marine ecosystems. An avid sailor, she uses computational tools to help understanding and protecting our oceans. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx