New research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) determined exactly where and when harmful coral bleaching will occur in the world's oceans.
Coral bleaching is primarily caused by rising ocean temperatures, and can take a significant toll on ocean health. When the water gets too warm corals release algae living in their tissue, causing them to turn white and become more likely to die.
This new research provides the "first fine-scale projections of coral bleaching," which could be used as a tool for resource managers and help them plan for the effects of coral loss.
"At some locations, referred to in our study as 'relative refugia,' lower rates of temperature increase and fewer extreme events mean reefs have more time to adapt to climate change. Managers may decide to use this information to protect these locations as refuges or protected areas. Or they may take other actions to reduce stress caused by human activities."
Coral bleaching events have increased significantly over the past two decades. These reefs provide crucial habitats for fisheries that supply humans with food and act as buffers along coastlines. They also bring in revenue by attracting tourists and divers.
The recent study builds on global climate models from the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change using ocean models and a statistical downscaling approach. In regions of some countries, the coral reefs were projected to experience annual bleaching 15 or more years later than neighboring areas. This included reefs in "Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and Mexico."
"Coral bleaching poses a grave threat to coral reefs and these high-resolution projections provide vitally needed spatial information about the degree of threat and will help us make better management decisions," said Bob Glazer of Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Global Change Biology.
