Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Green Gown Award winning Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, Mya Harvey, Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Tyler Domone-Hollands, Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Jessica Morgan: To what extent does recreational scuba diving accelerate the degradation of Coral Reefs?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Jessica Morgan (BSc Geography) joins us to discuss her research project "To what extent does recreational scuba diving accelerate the degradation of Coral Reefs?"
Coral reefs are experiencing unprecedented rates of decline under climate change yet the extent to which local recreational pressures compound climate stress remains contested. This study examined the extent to which recreational scuba diving accelerates coral reef degradation within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where the effects of climate change exist. To integrate social and ecological dimensions, a structured online survey was carried out to capture self-reported diver behaviours, perceptions, and attitudes, whilst a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis quantified and compared spatial patterns of reef condition and recreational diving intensity between study sites in Cairns and the Far North of the Great Barrier Reef. Reef condition and diving pressure were found to be unevenly distributed, with comparatively poorer reef conditions observed where recreational scuba diving density was prominent. Survey findings revealed a 'knowledge–practice gap', as environmentally aware and experienced divers with training still reported routine behaviours that induce minor contact, capable of generating cumulative disturbance. Together, the results contribute to a growing body of research, indicating that concentrated recreational scuba diving activity can reduce local resilience and recovery capacity of coral reefs, resultantly accelerating climate related deterioration in high-use recreational scuba diving areas. Reef vulnerability is shaped not only by climate change but considerably by how local recreational pressure is organised, distributed, and regulated. This highlights the importance of structural management alongside improved diver education in a warming climate. Studies conclude between 19-45% of reefs have already been lost, and even if global warming is maintained at 1.5ºC, up to 90% of coral reefs may disappear by 2050.
Episode guest: Jessica Morgan, BSc Geography
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode producer and editor: Ellie Howell
The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2026 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students.