Corals recover faster when they have clean water and plentiful sea life
July 22nd, 2009 - 12:38 pm ICT by ANIWashington, July 22 (ANI): A new study has shown that bleached corals bounce back to normal growth rates more quickly when they have clean water and plentiful sea life at their side.
The new research study, led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, suggests that by improving overall ocean health, corals are better able to recover from bleaching events, which occur when rising sea temperatures force corals to expel their symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae.
Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that is expected to increase in frequency as global climate change increases ocean temperatures worldwide.
The new findings show that following a major bleaching event, Mountainous star coral on various reefs in Honduras and Belize was able to recover and grow normally within two to three years when the surrounding waters and reef were relatively healthy.
In comparison, those corals living with excessive local impacts, such as pollution, were not able to fully recover after eight years.
“You can imagine that when you are recovering from a sickness, it will take a lot longer if you don’t eat well or get enough rest,” said Jessica Carilli, Scripps graduate student and lead author on the study.
“Similarly, a coral organism that must be constantly trying to clean itself from excess sediment particles will have a more difficult time recovering after a stressful condition like bleaching,” he added.
Carilli and colleagues analyzed 92 coral cores collected from four reef sites off the coast of Honduras and Belize.
The cores were collected from reefs with different degrees of local stress from pollution, overfishing and sediment and nutrient run off from land.
By using x-rays, the researchers were able to examine the coral’s annual growth rate records since 1950, including the time before and after a major bleaching event in 1998.
“It is clear that Mesoamerican corals really fell off a cliff in 1998 — nearly everybody suffered mass bleaching,” said Dick Norris, Scripps professor of paleooceanography and co-author of the study.
“There are no pristine reefs in the region, but the ones in the best shape clearly are more resilient than those that are long-suffering. It shows that a little improvement in growing conditions goes a long way in recovering coral health,” he added. (ANI)
- 2010 saw massive coral bleaching in Andamans - Jan 16, 2011
- Some corals unfazed by global warming - Mar 13, 2012
- Warming climate damaging reefs, impacting fish - Jul 11, 2012
- 'Stress test' to identify 'reefs of hope' in climate change era - Mar 23, 2011
- 75 percent of world's coral reefs under threat: report - Feb 24, 2011
- Warming casts shadow over survival of coral reefs - Sep 17, 2012
- Coral bleaching will go from bad to worse in 2010: Study - Nov 20, 2010
- Coral reefs across Indian Ocean dying: Experts - Oct 21, 2010
- Parrotfish play vital role in preserving coral reefs - Dec 12, 2011
- Radical methods needed to save oceans, say experts - Aug 21, 2012
- World's coral reefs 'at risk due to overfishing, climate change' - Feb 24, 2011
- Marine researchers call for international effort to save coral reefs - Oct 08, 2010
- World's corals face danger as global warming whips up powerful storms - Jun 24, 2009
- Weed-eating fish key to reef's survival - Mar 11, 2011
- Sea cucumbers could protect endangered corals - Feb 01, 2012
Tags: change increases, clean water, cores, global climate change, graduate student, institution of oceanography, ocean health, ocean temperatures, organism, overfishing, reefs, scripps institution of oceanography, sea life, sea temperatures, sediment particles, star coral, symbiotic algae, uc san diego, x rays, zooxanthellae