The relationship between coral and algae is hugely important: the coral provides algae with shelter, while the algae provides the coral with energy and color. However, scientists have never before observed the moment when coral cells envelop single-celled algae to begin this partnership, until now. In a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science Wednesday, […]
By Ian Urbina About 100 miles off the coast of Thailand, three dozen Cambodian boys and men worked barefoot all day and into the night on the deck of a purse seiner fishing ship. Fifteen-foot swells climbed the sides of the vessel, clipping the crew below the knees. Ocean spray and fish innards made the […]
Ocean acidification and pollution are well-known threats to the world’s coral reef ecosystems. But in a recent study, scientists have uncovered an entirely new threat: human fecal bacteria. Two extreme flooding events in Texas in 2016 and 2017 carried human waste more than 100 miles offshore to the Gulf of Mexico’s “secret” coral garden, also […]
By Hannah Thomasy On its own, a single sea cucumber may not be very impressive. But get enough of these floppy, faceless creatures together, and they—or, more specifically, their poop—can physically and biochemically reshape a coral reef habitat. In a recently published study, an Australian research team used drone surveys, satellite imagery, and observations of […]
Hawaii is on its way to banning more reef-damaging sunscreens. On Tuesday of last week, its state Senate approved Senate Bill 132, which would ban all sunscreens containing the chemicals avobenzone or octocrylene. The bill then moved to the House, where it passed its first reading on Thursday, March 11. If approved, it would build […]
By Dana M Bergstrom, Euan Ritchie, Lesley Hughes and Michael Depledge In 1992, 1,700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were “on a collision course.” Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and other life could have a “safe space to operate.” These are environmental thresholds, such as the […]
By Douglas McCauley This article is part of The Davos Agenda. The year 2050 has been predicted by some to be a bleak year for the ocean. Experts say that by 2050 there may be more plastic than fish in the sea, or perhaps only plastic left. Others say 90% of our coral reefs may […]
Coral reef ecosystems are threatened, researchers have warned. Warming oceans, pollution and overfishing are a few reasons why. But scientists at the University of Hawaii and Michigan State University are looking for answers beyond just “why.” They are seeking solutions that could help coral reefs endure these threats now and into the future. Between 2014 […]
When we think of the Super Bowl — America’s most popular sporting event, according to Arcadia Publishing — ocean conservation and military veterans usually aren’t top of mind. But, for the last two years, a unique collaboration ahead of the annual game has placed coral restoration at the forefront of the world’s attention. For almost […]
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