A swimming robot that mimics the super-effective way that jellyfish move about underwater could soon be used to explore coral reefs and archaeological sites. Experts use a measure called the ‘cost of transport’ to compare the movement efficiency of different species from across the animal kingdom. Such studies have show that nature’s more efficient mover … Read more
Thousands of volunteers in Mauritius are racing to contain a catastrophic oil spill swamping its pristine ocean and beaches on Sunday. The bulk carrier MV Wakashio has been seeping fuel into a protected marine park boasting unspoiled coral reefs, mangrove forests and endangered species, prompting the government to declare an unprecedented environmental emergency. Attempts to stabilise … Read more
Sharks are ‘functionally extinct’ from one-in-five coral reefs, according to comprehensive three-year survey A global survey paints a gloomy portrait of reef sharks populations In a three-year survey of 371 reefs around the world scientists found that almost 20 percent didn’t harbor a single reef shark Overfishing and human populations density are the biggest factors … Read more
Feeding coral reefs a dose of ‘good’ probiotic bacteria helps them tolerate rising ocean temperatures, new research shows. Scientists say they’ve proved for the first time that feeding corals beneficial probiotics increases their overall health and improves their chances of survival during heat stress. In lab tests, corals that were fed beneficial microorganisms – much like … Read more
Heat-resistant algae is developed by scientists to protect endangered coral reefs from bleaching as ocean temperatures rise due to climate change Researchers took algae from coral and exposed it to increasingly warm water They did this over four years until it could resist water heated up to 88 degrees F The algae was placed back … Read more
Coral reefs are so fundamentally damaged by climate change that decades of research on how to protect them may not even still be applicable, scientists say. In a study of coral over 20 years, UK scientists found that a warming climate undoes decades of knowledge on coral in protected areas, known as marine reserves. These delicate … Read more