Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN)

Early stage researcher

Leonardo Bertini

Leonardo Bertini

MSc in Marine Biological Resources

Institute:
Natural History Museum, UK

Topic:
Coral growth and bioerosion

Supervisor(s):
Dr. Kenneth Johnson, Dr. Erica Hendy, and Dr. Tilo Burghardt

Growth rates and bioerosion of modern and Pliocene coral records using AI

Leonardo Bertini, based at the NHM in London, has a Bachelor in Oceanography (IOUSP, Brazil) and a joint Master in Marine Biological Resources (UGent, Belgium & UiB, Norway). He has conducted research using Earth System modelling to assess biogeochemical timescales of climate change onset and recovery in the North Atlantic and has also used coral 3D photogrammetry to look at the relationship between coral 3D complexity metrics and fish assemblages in the Chagos Archipelago.

Within 4D-REEF, Leo will develop a high-throughput analysis pipeline to measure growth and bioerosion in massive corals using µCT and AI, teaming up with the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol (UK). His research goals include decoupling anthropogenic and natural effects of turbidity on growth and bioerosion rates, ultimately comparing these to the Pliocene fossil record, when turbid corals also experienced global warming, to better understand the future of the Coral Triangle.

Key publications

  • Rutterford A, Bertini L, Hendy EJ, Johnson KG, Summerfield R, Burghardt, T. (2022) Towards the analysis of coral skeletal density-banding using deep learning. SN Applied Sciences 4, 38. doi: 10.1007/s42452-021-04912-x

Blogs by Leonardo Bertini: