Dan Barshis News Today

Ropati Opa sat in the shade on the side of the road beside a carpet of tropical greenery with a massive, fringing coral reef sitting just offshore.

Despite prevailing narratives of coral bleaching and decline, the reefs of American Samoa have been particularly resilient to warming temperatures that have laid waste to other corals. Scientists there are finding out why, and looking for ways to use this knowledge to help reefs in other parts of the world.