Coral reefs have exceptional levels of biodiversity and provide important social and ecological services, including food, coastal protection, recreation, tourism, and cultural connections. However, local stressors and climate change are causing a sharp decline in coral reefs and the more than 230 international agreements with coral reef provisions have failed …
The Philippine government said Wednesday it had received 87 million pesos ($1.97 million) from the United States to pay for damage caused by a U.S. Navy minesweeper to a protected reef two years ago. Manila received the compensation last month for the damage that resulted from the grounding of the …
Climate change is now the leading cause of coral-reef degradation and is altering the adaptive landscape of coral populations. Increasing sea temperatures and declining carbonate saturation states are inhibiting short-term rates of coral calcification, carbonate precipitation and submarine cementation. A critical challenge to coral-reef conservation is understanding the mechanisms by …
Over the past 40 years, two of the dominant reef-building corals in the Caribbean, Acropora palmata and Acropora cervicornis, have experienced unprecedented declines. That loss has been largely attributed to a syndrome commonly referred to as white-band disease. Climate change-driven increases in sea surface temperature (SST) have been linked to …
If unchecked, reckless industrialization alongside the Great Barrier Reef could cause severe damage to one of Earth’s most important environmental systems, according to a new report commissioned by WWF. The Great Barrier Reef Under Threat found that the dumping of waste from port expansions within its World Heritage-listed boundaries would …
The Australian government’s marine research agency is looking to genetically alter species of coral to help them cope with rising sea temperatures, as new modelling showed the coverage of living corals on the Great Barrier Reef could decline to less than 10% if warming continued. Scientists at the Australian Institute …
Recent studies have showed that more than 90 per cent of coral reefs in the Seychelles are slowly but surely recuperating from the global 1998 El Niño phenomenon. The natural weather event resulted in an increase in sea temperature and subsequently a huge die-off among these living organisms. Although such …
The planet’s resources significantly contribute to the world’s economy. But businesses risk driving natural capital into the red Nature is like an angel investor in the global economy: financially significant, yet widely unknown. The global pharmaceuticals industry, for example, is worth some $640bn. But few know that up to 50% …
Live coral coverage on Australia's Great Barrier Reef could plummet to less than 10% if ocean warming continues according to current trends, finds a new study that explores the short- and long-term consequences of environmental changes to the reef. The long-term consequences indicate that a moderate warming of 1-2 degrees …
The team monitored 21 reefs in the Seychelles since 1994, taking measurements of total number of plant-eating fish and nutrients reaching the reefs. Twelve out of 21 reefs were able to recover after severe bleaching in 1998. The remaining became seaweed-covered ruins, writes Scientific American. Cutting down on the amount …
PARIS – A sharp rise in sea temperature can inflict potentially catastrophic “bleaching” on corals, but new research has identified factors that may render some reefs more resilient than others. Five conditions can determine whether or not a reef is doomed after bleaching — episodes that threaten a valuable source …
A team of scientists, in a groundbreaking analysis of data from hundreds of sources, has concluded that humans are on the verge of causing unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them. “We may be sitting on a precipice of a major extinction event,” said Douglas J. …
Study shows for the first time which parts of the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs can be expected to bounce back from mass bleaching events Scientists have identified which parts of the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs are most capable of recovering from mass bleaching events which will …
The federal court is being asked to overturn the environment minister, Greg Hunt’s approval of Indian company Adani’s $16.5bn Queensland coalmine because he did not take into account the impact on the Great Barrier Reef of the greenhouse gases emitted when the coal is burned. Environment ministers usually consider only …
Climate change is undoubtedly upon us, and it will cause irreversible impacts on both the environment and world economies if action is not immediately taken, warns a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Environmentalists have taken to the New York City streets this week in protest …
Ecosystems across the globe are in danger--from coral reefs to prairie grasslands. In fact, these ecosystems are susceptible to sudden collapse due to seemingly minor events. Now, scientists have taken a closer look at these collapses in an effort to prevent them. "In a sea of tipping points, identifying, anticipating …
Australia’s Queensland state threw its support behind plans for the nation’s largest coal project, two days after U.S. President Barack Obama called on the country to step up the fight against climate change. The state will help fund a 388-kilometer (241-mile) rail line to link Adani Enterprises Ltd. (ADE)’s Carmichael …
Scientists warn that pollution may be dramatically increasing the rate of ocean acidification in inshore areas, threatening coral It has long been known that pollution is having a devastating impact on the Great Barrier Reef but now scientists are warning that it may also be dramatically increasing the rate of …
Ocean acidification and coral reef damage is likely going to cost the world economy over a trillion dollars by 2100, according to a new report by United Nations (UN) experts. The report was released on Wednesday by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which has been assessing the economic impacts …
A survey of coral reefs off the Hawaiian island of Oahu has shown warm ocean waters recently contributed to a higher rate of coral bleaching than the state has seen in decades, sparking concerns about the ecosystem, a state official said on Tuesday. The findings from dives last week by …
International efforts to meet targets to stem the loss of wildlife and habitats are failing miserably, according to a UN report. The Global Biodiversity Outlook 4, published as nearly 200 countries meet on Monday in South Korea in a bid to tackle biodiversity loss, paints a damning picture of governments’ …
