A bleaching event at a reef in Key Largo, Fla. The complex interplay of temperature and cloud cover is at the heart of cloral bleaching events.
(Liv Williamson/University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science via AP)
Understanding how both cloud cover and temperature work to promote coral bleaching provides valuable insight into how reefs will change over various climate scenarios.
Coral impacted by excess nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef.
Ashly McMahon
After a chance discovery in the lab, this team used IVF to make hundreds of coral babies for restoration projects in New South Wales. So far the IVF babies are doing well in the wild.
Many researchers are exploring high-tech ways to help reefs survive the climate crisis. But low-tech solutions like manually pulling out seaweed have a place too.
Invasive zebra mussels colonize a rock at Lewis and Clark Lake in Yankton, S.D.
Sam Stukel, USFWS/Flickr
According to a new UN report, invasive species do more than US$423 billion in damage worldwide every year. Four articles explore examples, from mollusks to poisonous fish.
Rising seas are pushing coastal ecosystems to the limit of endurance. Now international research reveals a “tipping point” will be reached if we allow more than 2 degrees of global warming.
Coral reefs are hotspots of productivity in otherwise nutrient-poor parts of our oceans.
Joerg Wiedenmann & Cecilia D'Angelo/University of Southampton
Exploring the often unseen, and poorly understood, nuances of diversity within coral reefs may prove essential for ensuring the long-term health of Earth’s oceans.
A healthy coral reef in Palau in the western Pacific Ocean.
Liam Lachs
Ian Enochs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Water temperatures in the 90s off Florida in July are alarming, a NOAA coral scientist writes. Scientists in several North American countries have already spotted coral bleaching off their coasts.
An invasive lionfish at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.
G. P. Schmahl/NOAA
One of the most damaging invasive species in the oceans has breached a major barrier – the Amazon-Orinoco river plume – and is spreading along Brazil’s coast. Scientists are trying to catch up.
New research reveals baby clownfish like Nemo are incredible athletes, able to swim 10-50 body lengths per second. Their athletic traits support their journey from the open ocean back to the reef.