When ocean water is too warm, corals expel the algae that lives in their tissues, which causes the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When this happens, the coral is not dead. However, corals are dependent upon the symbiotic relationship with algae and if conditions don’t improve, they don’t let the algae back in and the corals will die.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, between 2014 and 2017, around 75% of the world’s tropical coral reefs experienced heat stress severe enough to trigger bleaching. For 30% of the world’s reefs, the heat stress was enough to kill the coral.
According to new research by the University of Miami published in the journal Coral Reefs, corals subjected to a stressful regimen of very warm water in the laboratory came to be more tolerant of high temperatures, offering a potential tool for preserving ailing coral reefs.
In the study, some corals were kept in water at a constant temperature of 82 degrees while others saw water temperatures fluctuating between 82 degrees and 88 degrees. After 90 days of this treatment, the corals exposed to variable temperatures were able to tolerate high heat for longer periods before bleaching. This training regime is akin to an athlete preparing for a race.
The findings suggest a possible approach for restoring coral reefs. Nursery-raised corals that are “trained” to tolerate heat could be planted onto reefs endangered by warming waters. Reefs populated by corals with boosted stamina to heat stress could have a greater chance of surviving the warming waters of the oceans.
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Some Corals Can Be Conditioned to Tolerate Heat, Study Finds
Photo, posted December 16, 2015, courtesy of Big Cypress National Preserve via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
