Heron Island Research Station: six decades of experimental biology on a remote coral reef

2026/07/15 by Chris Roelfsema, Chris M. Roelfsema, Caitlin A. Lawson +4
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses #Marine and fisheries research

paper · doi:10.1242/jeb.252417

Abstract

Heron Island Research Station (HIRS) has played a crucial role in the advancement of experimental biology on coral reefs by providing continuous access to a single, well-characterised reef system for over seven decades. Located on a coral cay of the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, HIRS supports research on the island, across reef flats, lagoons and fore-reef slopes that experience strong and predictable gradients in temperature, oxygen availability, hydrodynamic exposure and carbonate chemistry. This natural heterogeneity, combined with experimental infrastructure, has enabled research at HIRS to link organismal performance and ecological processes to environmental conditions.

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