Dr. Counsell is a quantitative marine ecologist. Her research investigates how environmental and anthropogenic parameters impact the structure of coral reef communities. As part of this work, she conducts spatially and temporally extensive field surveys of nearshore coral reef communities to evaluate patterns in species composition relative to environmental conditions. Dr. Counsell also utilizes in situ and mesocosm experiments to directly study specific dynamics within coral reef communities.
In addition to her field research, Dr. Counsell has worked closely with monitoring agencies across the state of Hawai‘i to provide state managers with data-based evidence of how habitat characteristics, oceanographic dynamics, and human inputs impact reef ecosystem health across the main Hawaiian Islands.
