Coral Reefs

Seychelles: floating baby corals can help save damaged reefs – new study

By April J Burt, University of Oxford and Noam Vogt-Vincent, University of Hawaii The Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands stretches across a vast area of the western Indian Ocean. Each island is fringed by coral reefs. Coral reefs are formed by colonies of invertebrate animals that build hard skeletons and grow in a myriad of forms. These complex tropical reefs support a third of all […]

May 21, 2024 20

World

Global coral bleaching caused by global warming demands a global response

Bleached coral at the Keppel Islands in the southern Great Barrier Reef in early March 2024. © AIMS | Eoghan Aston By Britta Schaffelke, Australian Institute of Marine Science; David Wachenfeld, Australian Institute of Marine Science, and Selina Stead, Newcastle University The fourth global coral bleaching event, announced this week, is an urgent wake-up call to the world. While the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s announcement is […]

April 19, 2024 32

Environment

From exporting coral to restoring reefs, a Madagascar startup rethinks business

Koraï divers prepare to install a frame housing young hard corals in the protected waters of Antsoha Island, off northwestern Madagascar. Image courtesy of Koraï. By Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy via Mongabay With coral cover declining in Madagascar, Koraï, a Franco-Malagasy startup, has shifted its focus to coral reef restoration from its predecessor’s specialization in coral export. Jeimila Donty, its founder and CEO, is part of a young “pro-climate” generation keen to […]

February 7, 2024 17

Environment

Ocean heating breaks record, again, with disastrous outcomes for the planet

By Elizabeth Claire Alberts via Mongabay New research shows that ocean temperatures are hotter than ever in the modern era due to human-driven global warming. High ocean temperatures are placing a strain on marine life and biological processes while also increasing extreme weather events on land. The world is also seeing an escalation in the frequency and intensity of marine heat waves, events in which sea temperatures exceed a certain […]

January 31, 2024 15

Environment

Artificial coral reefs showing early signs they can mimic real reefs killed by climate change – new research

Rick Stafford, Bournemouth University and Zach Boakes, Bournemouth University Earth’s average temperature in September 2023 was 1.75°C above its pre-industrial baseline, breaching (if only temporarily) the 1.5°C threshold at which world leaders agreed to try and limit long-term warming. Persistent warming at this level will make it difficult for the ocean’s coral reefs to survive. The same goes for those communities who rely on the reefs for food, to protect […]

October 20, 2023 37