The Great Barrier Reef is at a critical tipping point that will determine its long-term survival. Coral bleaching as a result of global warming is a key reason for the reef’s decline. Coral reefs provide a home for 25% of all marine life, are an incredible natural resource for breakthrough […]
Scientists at the Florida Aquarium reproduced coral from the Atlantic Ocean in a lab for the first time. They mimicked the natural conditions that signal corals to reproduce, like sunsets and moon phases. They borrowed techniques from researchers at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London, who reproduced Pacific coral […]
As greenhouse-gas emissions continue to concentrate in the atmosphere and heat up the planet, the oceans are warming faster than ever. That’s devastating for coral reefs, since warmer temperatures prompt coral bleaching – when coral expels its algal food sources and turns ghostly white, increasing its risk of death. A […]
Hawaii just became the first US state to ban the sale of certain kinds of chemical sunscreen that may damage coral reefs. The two banned chemical names are oxybenzone and octinoxate. Mineral blockers are an alternative to chemical sunblocks. They physically keep the sun away. If you’re going to slather […]
Coral reefs provide essential protection for people who live near coasts all over the world, according to a recent study. But reefs are dying because of the consequences of human activity, especially climate change. The study found that without reefs, annual damage from flooding would double from $US4 billion to […]
Half of the coral reefs that make up Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been killed off by searing heat waves that caused coral bleaching events in 2016 and 2017. The Australian government is investing $US379 million to improve water quality and save reefs. But most experts think that because the […]
We’re currently facing the worst bleaching of coral reefs ever known in history, but what would happen if all the coral reefs died off? We’ve already lost 50% of the world’s coral, and we’re at risk of losing even more. If the world lost all its coral reefs, the results […]
Two new studies show that the world’s oceans are in dire straits – even more than scientists previously thought. One study found that coral bleaching events, which can kill reefs, are now happening every few years instead of every few decades. And a new review found that oceans are losing […]
Since 2016, coral bleaching events have killed off approximately half of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest and most extensive reef system in the world. The heat and acidity devastating the Great Barrier Reef are killing other corals around the globe. Without coral reefs, there could be a rippling ecosystem […]
When the water in the sea gets warmer...
