Edy Setyawan, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Our new, world-first research provides strong evidence of a significant increase in reef manta rays in protected areas of Raja Ampat over a decade.
Researchers discovered five new species of black corals, including this Hexapathes bikofskii growing out of a nautilus shell more than 2,500 feet (760 meters) below the surface.
Jeremy Horowitz
Black corals provide critical habitat for many creatures that live in the dark, often barren, deep sea, and researchers are learning more about these rare corals with every dive.
Mayotte’s surrounding coral reef is made up of three different structures more than 350 kilometers long. The lagoon they form is threatened by climate change and erosion.
Axelspace
Noro Ravoavahy, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM)
Mayotte is no exception to the adage “small islands, big problems”. A newly born volcano combined with poor land management and accelerating climate change has put its fabled lagoon at risk.
Plastic bottles and other waste are some of the contaminants destroying the oceans.
Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images
Rising concern about possible environmental damage from the active ingredients in sunscreens could have ripple effects on public health if it causes people to use less of them.
Many places have banned sunscreens with certain chemicals in an attempt to help protect coral reefs.
Westend61 via Getty Images
Researchers have long suspected that an ingredient in sunscreen called oxybenzone was harming corals, but no one knew how. A new study shows how corals turn oxybenzone into a sunlight-activated toxin.
New research shows just 2% of the Great Barrier Reef remains untouched by bleaching since 1998. Its future survival depends on how much higher we allow global temperatures to rise.
The Army Corps of Engineers is planning a sea wall 6 miles long and flood gates. The infrastructure might protect downtown from a hurricane storm surge, but most of the area will still be vulnerable.
Corals are made of hundreds to thousands of tiny living polyps.
Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
During a 2015 heat wave, scientists watched as a coral reef died before their eyes. By the end of the century, almost all the world’s corals will be gone if climate change continues at this pace.
Morgan Pratchett, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
A study of 183 coral reefs worldwide quantified the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on reef growth rates. Even under the lowest emissions scenarios, the future of reefs is not bright.
The Chagos Reef was vibrant before the heat wave.
Ken Marks/Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Untreated wastewater is responsible for the deaths of 800 children under five every day, and inflicts serious damage to the environment. Knowing where sewage ends up is vital.
Meet Ireland’s coral: this photo was taken 800 metres below the waves.
Aaron Lim