{"id":184489,"date":"2010-01-15T04:45:12","date_gmt":"2010-01-15T09:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nw0.eu\/2010\/01\/15\/not-as-bad-as-they-thought-coral-can-recover-from-climate-change-damage.html"},"modified":"2010-01-15T04:45:12","modified_gmt":"2010-01-15T09:45:12","slug":"not-as-bad-as-they-thought-coral-can-recover-from-climate-change-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/184489","title":{"rendered":"Not as bad as they thought: Coral can recover from climate change damage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Watts Up With That?
\n<\/a>Tuesday , January 12th, 2010<\/p>\n

From a University of Exeter press release<\/a>, another inconvenient truth about our planet sure to be denounced by some who claim that global warming is irreparably damaging reef systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/p>\n

A study by the University of Exeter provides the first evidence that
\ncoral reefs can recover from the devastating effects of climate change.
\nPublished Monday 11 January in the journal PLOS One<\/em>, the
\nresearch shows for the first time that coral reefs located in marine
\nreserves can recover from the impacts of global warming.<\/p>\n

Scientists and environmentalists have warned that coral reefs may
\nnot be able to recover from the damage caused by climate change and
\nthat these unique environments could soon be lost forever. Now, this
\nresearch adds weight to the argument that reducing levels of fishing is
\na viable way of protecting the world\u2019s most delicate aquatic
\necosystems.<\/p>\n

Increases in ocean surface water temperatures subject coral reefs to
\nstresses that lead quickly to mass bleaching. The problem is
\nintensified by ocean acidification, which is also caused by increased CO2<\/sub>. This decreases the ability of corals to produce calcium carbonate (chalk), which is the material that reefs are made of.<\/p>\n

Approximately 2% of the world\u2019s coral reefs are located within
\nmarine reserves, areas of the sea that are protected against
\npotentially-damaging human activity, like dredging and fishing.<\/p>\n

The researchers conducted surveys of ten sites inside and outside
\nmarine reserves of the Bahamas over 2.5 years. These reefs have been
\nseverely damaged by bleaching and then by hurricane Frances in the
\nsummer of 2004. At the beginning of the study, the reefs had an average
\nof 7% coral cover. By the end of the project, coral cover in marine
\nprotected areas had increased by an average of 19%, while reefs in
\nnon-reserve sites showed no recovery.<\/p>\n

Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Exeter said: \u201cCoral
\nreefs are the largest living structures on Earth and are home to the
\nhighest biodiversity on the planet. As a result of climate change, the
\nenvironment that has enabled coral reefs to thrive for hundreds of
\nthousands of years is changing too quickly for reefs to adapt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to protect reefs in the long-term we need radical action to reduce CO2<\/sub>
\nemissions. However, our research shows that local action to reduce the
\neffects of fishing can contribute meaningfully to the fate of reefs.
\nThe reserve allowed the number of parrotfishes to increase and because
\nparrotfish eat seaweeds, the corals could grow freely without being
\nswamped by weeds. As a result, reefs inside the park were showing
\nrecovery whereas those with more seaweed were not. This sort of
\nevidence may help persuade governments to reduce the fishing of key
\nherbivores like parrotfishes and help reefs cope with the inevitable
\nthreats posed by climate change\u201d.<\/p>\n

###<\/div>\n

Professor Mumby\u2019s research was funded by National Environment
\nResearch Council (NERC) and the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans
\nFoundation.<\/p>\n

Reef facts<\/p>\n