These little organisms are saving the coastlines from monster storms. Be nice to them
The catastrophe in the Bahamas shows more clearly than ever that coastal communities around the world are in dire peril from supercharged storms like Hurricane Dorian. They need to preserve and restore their first line of defense, wetlands and coral reefs. They need to build what scientists like me call coastal resilience.
Great Barrier Reef health outlook downgraded to “very poor” due to ocean warming
The government agency that manages Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has downgraded its outlook for the corals’ condition from “poor” to “very poor” due to warming oceans.
How to restore a coral reef
New guidelines drafted by a consortium of concerned experts could enable corals to adapt to changing environments and help restore declining populations in the Caribbean. The guidelines provide a definitive plan for collecting, raising, and replanting corals that maximizes their potential for adaptation.
Thirty years of unique data reveal what’s really killing coral reefs
Coral bleaching is not just due to a warming planet, but also a planet that is simultaneously being enriched with reactive nitrogen from sources like improperly treated sewage, and fertilizers.
As Ocean Temperatures Rise, Corals Are Steadily Moving Poleward
Rising ocean temperatures are increasingly causing coral reefs to shift away from the equator into more temperate waters. Over the past 40 years, the number of young corals has declined by 85 percent on tropical reefs, while at the same time doubling in cooler regions, according to a recent study.
Global warming disrupts recovery of coral reefs
The damage caused to the Great Barrier Reef by global warming has compromised the capacity of its corals to recover, according to new research.
Coral study traces excess nitrogen to Maui wastewater treatment facility
A new method for reconstructing changes in nitrogen sources over time has enabled scientists to connect excess nutrients in the coastal waters of West Maui, Hawaii, to a sewage treatment facility that injects treated wastewater into the ground.
Fish diversity linked to Caribbean coral reef health
The health of coral reefs can be impacted as much by the diversity of fish that graze on them as by the amount of fish that do so, according to a new study. In the paper, the researchers untangle and unveil the powerful effects that biodiversity has on Caribbean coral reefs.
Proximity to land determines how coral reef communities respond to climate change events
Severe weather and environmental disturbances, such as cyclones or thermal coral bleaching, affect specific areas of coral reefs differently, new research has shown.