Thomas F. Goreau
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fritz Goreau was a marine biologist who worked extensively on the coral reef
s of Jamaica, and many other reefs in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Red Sea.
to Austria
at the age of 8, and lived in France and the United States
, where he studied at Clark University
, The University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and received his Ph.D
in ecology from Yale University
. In 1951 he went to lecture at the medical school at the University of the West Indies
in Jamaica, and in 1956 he founded a long-term research project exploring the coral reef
s of Jamaica.
atom bomb test site in the Marshall Islands as a chemist. As the diver who collected radioactive specimens from the lagoons, he most likely received lethal radiation exposure. Consequently, he died from acute cancer at the age of 45.
, Jamaica in an abandoned urinal on a fisherman's beach in the early 1960s. The fame of his research, which pioneered most of the techniques used in modern coral reef science, led to the construction of a research lab that opened only after his death in 1970.
He pioneered the use of scuba gear as a marine research tool, the use of radioisotopes to understand the growth of corals and marine organisms, the zonation of coral reefs, and many aspects of coral reef ecology and geology. With Nora Goreau he did the basic work on the biology and physiology of corals and the role of algal symbiosis in their growth. They discovered many new species, and explored many other subjects. His work showed how coral reefs function and established their great sensitivity to environmental stress. His widow Nora I. Goreau, the first Panamanian marine biologist, and son Thomas J. Goreau
continue to focus their research on coral reefs.
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s of Jamaica, and many other reefs in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Red Sea.
Career
Goreau moved from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
at the age of 8, and lived in France and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he studied at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, The University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and received his Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in ecology from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. In 1951 he went to lecture at the medical school at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
in Jamaica, and in 1956 he founded a long-term research project exploring the coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s of Jamaica.
Death
His work on coral reefs began in 1947, when - as a student - he became involved with the Bikini AtollBikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
atom bomb test site in the Marshall Islands as a chemist. As the diver who collected radioactive specimens from the lagoons, he most likely received lethal radiation exposure. Consequently, he died from acute cancer at the age of 45.
Legacy
He built rebreather diving gear to explore the deep sea, and was the first diving marine scientist. He founded the marine laboratory at Discovery BayDiscovery Bay
Discovery Bay is a mixed, primarily residential, development comprising a residential development and private and public recreational facilities in Hong Kong. It is situated on the north-eastern coast of Lantau Island in the New Territories. The development spans an area of 650 hectares , and...
, Jamaica in an abandoned urinal on a fisherman's beach in the early 1960s. The fame of his research, which pioneered most of the techniques used in modern coral reef science, led to the construction of a research lab that opened only after his death in 1970.
He pioneered the use of scuba gear as a marine research tool, the use of radioisotopes to understand the growth of corals and marine organisms, the zonation of coral reefs, and many aspects of coral reef ecology and geology. With Nora Goreau he did the basic work on the biology and physiology of corals and the role of algal symbiosis in their growth. They discovered many new species, and explored many other subjects. His work showed how coral reefs function and established their great sensitivity to environmental stress. His widow Nora I. Goreau, the first Panamanian marine biologist, and son Thomas J. Goreau
Thomas J. Goreau
Thomas J. Goreau is a biogeochemist and marine biologist; son of Thomas F. Goreau and Nora I. Goreau.After studying in Jamaican primary and secondary schools, he earned degrees in planetary physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in planetary astronomy at the California Institute of...
continue to focus their research on coral reefs.