Climate oscillations shape nature's coral refuges in a warming ocean
3 Articles
3 Articles
Australian biologists spend 120 days at sea, get towed behind boats, and log 40 years of reef change
Working on the Great Barrier Reef may sound like a dream job, but for scientists in the Australian Institute of Marine Science's Long-Term Monitoring Program, it can mean months at sea, rough weather, repetitive surveys, and even being towed behind a boat while mentally counting coral, fish, sharks, and signs of bleaching. It is extremely demanding work, but it is helping build one of the world's clearest long-term records of how the reef is ch…
Climate oscillations shape nature's coral refuges in a warming ocean
Why do some coral reefs weather marine heat waves better than others? A new study published in Scientific Reports shows that the answer may lie not only in local ocean conditions, but also in climate patterns that span entire ocean basins. By combining long-term ocean observations with chemical records preserved in coral skeletons, the researchers reveal how large-scale climate oscillations regulate the natural cooling that can help protect coral reefs during marine heat waves. First author Dr. Hana Camelia and Dr. Thomas Felis from MARUM—Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen led the study.
Ocean warming is decimating coral reefs at an alarming rate. However, there are places where colonies resist, whole and vibrant, when within a few kilometers everything has become white. A study published in Scientific Reports has just illuminated the mechanism that makes it possible: planetary-scale climate oscillations, such as El Niño, not only intensify sea heat waves, but also activate a natural cooling system that turns certain areas into …
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