Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), the University of Tokyo, and the Okinawa Prefecture Environment Science Center have developed a tool that can determine the diversity of hard corals on a reef through analyzing the DNA in a sample of seaw
Scientists who "eavesdropped" on a restored coral reef in Indonesia say their recordings of fish "whooping, croaking and growling" are the reef coming back to life. Over a decade, the reef has been re-seeded with new corals. The researchers used underwater microphones to record at the site.
Corals have declined by 50% over the last 30 years, with losses of 70-90% expected by mid-century. This mass decline is largely attributed to human activity.
Harmful to ocean and aquatic life, microplastics make up the nearly three percent toxic pollutants in shallow, tropical waters where corals flourish.
A new, widespread study of the global state of marine coral reef wilderness by WCS, NGS, and university collaborators found that remote ocean wilderness areas are sustaining fish populations much better than some of the world’s best marine reserves.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' southern islands include some of the archipelago's oldest and most developed reefs, while the island of Saipan has one of the most diversified kinds of coral reefs and related
A team of Stanford University researchers led by Professor Stephen Palumbi joined the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) last month to complete the final phase of a three-year research project mapping heat tolerant corals in Palau.
Hopes that enough of the Great Barrier Reef could escape global heating long enough for it to recover have been challenged by research finding less than 2% of its coral reefs have escaped bleaching since 1998.
Scientists have long suspected that coralline algae are particularly sensitive to changes in ocean chemistry. Now, researchers have found that most species of coralline algae studied are negatively affected by ocean acidification.
Many Pacific coral reefs are being damaged by habitat disturbance, pollution, fishing and climate change. Climate change is believed to be the greatest human-induced threat to corals in the Pacific region. The region needs an action plan to make cohesive decisions that will benefit coral reefs. This will enable leaders of Pacific Island countries, coral-reef managers and community members to coordinate their efforts to protect these valuable ecosystems.