Coral

Scientists have discovered that audio recordings of healthy coral reefs may help attract free-swimming coral larvae to damaged ones. The finding could be a major step toward preserving the world's coral reefs, an estimated 25% of which have died out in the last 30 years.Although the reef structures formed by coral polyps are immobile, the polyps themselves swim through the water while still in their larval state. Eventually, when they find a place they like, they latch onto a rock or other hard surface and start secreting…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain When climate scientists look to the future to determine what the effects of climate change may be, they use computer models to simulate potential outcomes such as how precipitation will change in a warming world. But University of Michigan scientists are looking at something a little more tangible: coral. Examining…

Coral reefs are often considered the marine counterpart to rainforests because of their high biodiversity. Scientists estimate that 25 percent of all marine species live in and around coral reefs, making them one of the most diverse habitats in the world.Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are damaging coral reefs around the world. Fortunately, a new study shows that artificially restored coral reefs can regrow remarkably quickly.Restored coral…

Federal authorities have closed Canada's only known live coral reef in the Pacific Ocean to all commercial and recreational bottom-contact fishing.Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the indefinite closure came into effect on Feb. 14 for the Lophelia Reef, located in the Finlayson Channel of British Columbia's Central Coast, about 500 kilometres northwest of Vancouver and 200 kilometres directly east of Haida Gwaii.The department says the reef was first discovered in 2021 and is the "first and only" known live coral reef in…

The island of Dhigelaabadhoo in the Maldives is the main field site of the ARISE programme, through which a series of extensive field tests—using state-of-the art coastal process research instrumentation and autonomous survey equipment—will be conducted between now and 2027. Credit: University of Plymouth Scientists have produced the first detailed estimates of how much sediment is transported onto the shores of coral reef…

February 26, 20242min readCoral reefs hundreds of feet below the ocean surface aren’t as safe as scientists thoughtBy Carolyn WilkeRecovering corals at the Chagos Archipelago. Credit: University of PlymouthAs marine biologist Nicola Foster and her colleagues steered a remote-controlled submersible through the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago, they saw corals full of color near the surface. But nearly 300 feet below, in the dimmer and colder waters of what oceanographers call the “twilight zone,” some…

A combination of AI, a wild 1970s plan to build underwater cities, and a designer creating furniture on the seabed around the Bahamas might be the solution to the widespread destruction of coral reefs. It could even save the world from coastal erosion.Industrial designer Tom Dixon and technologist Suhair Khan, founder of AI incubator Open-Ended Design, are collaborating on regenerating the ocean floor. “Coral reefs are endangered by climate change, shipping, development, and construction—but they’re vital,” Khan explains.…

CLIMATEWIRE | A niche financial tool is making it easier to repair critical ecosystems after natural disasters — and protect at-risk communities from future extreme weather.The Nature Conservancy announced this week that it has expanded its parametric insurance policy for Hawaii's coral reefs, guaranteeing a sizable payout if a storm of a certain caliber hits nearby. The idea is now gaining steam in other parts of the world, from Fiji to Mexico.In Hawaii, the funds would be used to remove debris and reattach broken pieces…

Our world’s coral reefs are much larger than we previously believed. According to a report shared on The Conversation by Mitchell Lyons, a postdoctoral research fellow at The University of Queensland, and Stuart Phinn, a Professor of Geography at The University of Queensland, researchers found 64,000 square kilometers of coral reef we didn’t know existed.The ground-breaking discovery brings the total size of our planet’s shallow reefs to roughly 348,000 square kilometers. That’s roughly the size of Germany, the…

The world's coral reefs are close to 25 percent larger than we thought. By using satellite images, machine learning and on-ground knowledge from a global network of people living and working on coral reefs, we found an extra 64,000 square kilometers (24,700 square miles) of coral reefs – an area the size of Ireland.That brings the total size of the planet's shallow reefs (meaning 0-20 meters deep) to 348,000 square kilometers – the size of Germany. This figure represents whole coral reef ecosystems, ranging from…