Corals in Red Sea survive temperature increase. Cold? Not so much
Even a one degree Celsius drop in water temperature in the Red Sea could be enough to bleach the sea’s unique coral ecosystem.
Photos of coral in the Gulf of Aqaba courtesy Prof. Maoz Fine, Bar-Ilan University
Coral in the Red Sea is in danger of “bleaching” if water temperatures drop by as little as one degree Celsius. The results show for the first time that coral is not only sensitive to increases in temperature, but drops as well.
Climate change is unpredictable – the temperature of seas and oceans can both rise and fall as a result of global warming. However, the coral in the northern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba has exceptionally high tolerance to increasing seawater temperatures. That led coral reef scientists to believe that the Red Sea’s coral were relatively safe from the bleaching effects suffered by reefs in other parts of the world. They even dubbed the region a “coral reef refuge.”
This Coral Refuge May Disappear If Climate Change Brings Cooler Winters forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Northern Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba Corals Exhibit High Tolerance to Higher Temperatures
Written by AZoCleantechApr 20 2021
Coral reefs are believed to be one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems found on the planet. Corals found in the northern Red Sea and on the Gulf of Aqaba exhibit remarkably extreme tolerance to increasing seawater temperatures, which is now the case due to global warming.
Image Credit: Bar-Ilan University.
Due to this property, coral reef researchers named this region as a possible coral reef refuge under conditions of climate change a reef where corals might thrive longer compared to others that are being lost at a shocking rate as a result of human pressures.
Even a Slight Cold Spell Can Cause Bleaching Among Heat Tolerant Northern Red Sea Corals Details
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth.
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth. In the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba corals also have exceptionally high tolerance to increasing seawater temperatures, now occurring as a consequence of global warming. This characteristic led coral reef scientists to designate this region as a potential coral reef refuge in the face of climate change – a reef where corals may survive longer than others that are being lost at an alarming rate due to human pressures.
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