Why we want to do this science Climate change and other drivers have triggered profound impacts on ecosystems that go beyond effects on biodiversity. Concerns are emerging about the potential for substantial changes in the magnitude of ecosystem processes that can underpin the stability of ecological communities. In the marine realm, coral reefs host exceptional marine biodiversity and provide crucial services that sustain 100’s of millions of people worldwide. The cover of live coral and the architectural complexity it provides are extremely vulnerable to climatic disturbances such as coral bleaching and powerful cyclones. Disturbances such as these have been prevalent on Pacific coral reefs, including huge impacts across the region during the 2016 El Niño event. Wh