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spikes of white coral under water
Great Barrier Reef Suffers Sixth Mass Bleaching in Two Decades
A survey showed that 91 percent of the reef experienced bleaching despite this year’s cooler, wetter conditions associated with the La Niña weather pattern.
Great Barrier Reef Suffers Sixth Mass Bleaching in Two Decades
Great Barrier Reef Suffers Sixth Mass Bleaching in Two Decades

A survey showed that 91 percent of the reef experienced bleaching despite this year’s cooler, wetter conditions associated with the La Niña weather pattern.

A survey showed that 91 percent of the reef experienced bleaching despite this year’s cooler, wetter conditions associated with the La Niña weather pattern.

coral bleaching

sunlit coral reef
Corals and Sea Anemones Turn Sunscreen into Toxins—Understanding How Could Help Save Coral Reefs
Djordje Vuckovic and Bill Mitch, The Conversation | May 6, 2022 | 6 min read
Researchers have long suspected that an ingredient in sunscreen called oxybenzone was harming corals, but no one knew how. A new study shows how corals turn oxybenzone into a sunlight-activated toxin.
Illustration showing coral health outcomes in response to bleaching events
Infographic: How Corals Remember the Past, Prepare for the Future
Amanda Heidt | Feb 14, 2022 | 1 min read
Scientists have documented examples of corals “remembering” prior exposure to heat stress in the field, and are now simulating these phenomena in the lab to better understand their cellular and molecular underpinnings.
Conceptual illustration of coral
Environmental Memory: How Corals Are Adjusting to Warmer Waters
Amanda Heidt | Feb 14, 2022 | 10+ min read
Corals that previously experienced heat stress respond better the next time around. Researchers are trying to figure out how, and hope to one day take advantage of the phenomenon to improve coral restoration efforts. 
Close-up shot of smooth cauliflower polyps
Comprehensive Atlas of Reef-Building Coral’s Cells Created
Christie Wilcox, PhD | May 13, 2021 | 5 min read
Single-cell RNA sequencing helps to catalog the dozens of cell types present in a stony coral, including its elusive immune cells.
Slideshow: Restoring Coral Reefs
Hanna R. Koch, Erinn Muller, and Michael P. Crosby | Feb 1, 2021 | 2 min read
By growing mountainous star corals in the lab and outplanting them to dying reefs, we were able to grow sexually mature corals that could help reef recovery.
Restored Corals Spawn Hope for Reefs Worldwide
Hanna R. Koch, Erinn Muller, and Michael P. Crosby | Feb 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Novel technologies establish a new paradigm for global coral reef restoration, with in situ spawning of mature, environmentally resilient corals in five years instead of decades.
Infographic: How to Accelerate the Growth of Restored Corals
Hanna R. Koch, Erinn Muller, and Michael P. Crosby | Feb 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Our novel technique involves planting several small fragments of slow-growing corals onto dead coral heads. The fragments eventually fuse, forming a large colony in a fraction of the time that it takes wild corals to build reefs.
Image of the Day: Stress-Resistant Corals
Emily Makowski | Sep 19, 2019 | 2 min read
Some corals can adjust to a range of temperatures, but this ability may be limited in a consistently warmer environment.
Guam’s Coral Reefs Ravaged by Warming Oceans
Catherine Offord | Jul 31, 2019 | 2 min read
Bleaching killed 34 percent of the island’s reefs between 2013 and 2017, a study finds.
Marine scientist photographing bleached corals
Coral Deaths Spurred by Pollutants From Land
Nicoletta Lanese | Jul 17, 2019 | 2 min read
Runoff and waste may be more harmful to the animals than climate change.
Coral Reef Scientist Ruth Gates Dies
Catherine Offord | Oct 31, 2018 | 2 min read
Gates was director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and a strong advocate for coral conservation.
Image of the Day: Beyond the Pale
Sukanya Charuchandra | Sep 5, 2018 | 1 min read
Both deep and shallow reefs are prone to bleaching, concludes a new study.
Deepwater Coral Reefs Unlikely to Welcome Shallow-Water Animals
Sukanya Charuchandra | Jul 20, 2018 | 2 min read
Historically thought to be a refuge for coral growing in the shallows, coral reefs from oceanic depths face similar threats, finds a new study.
Great Barrier Reef Experienced Five Massive Die-Offs in 30,000 Years
Catherine Offord | May 28, 2018 | 2 min read
The reef has bounced back from “death events” in the past, but that doesn’t mean it will be resilient over the next few decades.
Ocean Heat Wave Wreaked Havoc on Great Barrier Reef
Ashley Yeager | Apr 18, 2018 | 2 min read
Not only did many corals die in recent years, but some were actually killed by the hotter temperatures themselves, rather than bleaching.
Image of the Day: Coral on Acid
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | Mar 16, 2018 | 1 min read
Researchers exposed a coral reef to carbonated water to study the effects of ocean acidification.
Coral Sperm Banker
The Scientist | Jan 31, 2018 | 1 min read
Mary Hagedorn is racing to save Earth’s coral reefs by developing techniques for freezing the colonial animals’ gametes.
Rampant Coral Bleaching Begins to Subside
Aggie Mika | Jun 23, 2017 | 2 min read
The most destructive global coral bleaching event on record shows signs of remission in the Indian Ocean. 
Warming to Blame for Coral Bleaching in Hawaii
Kerry Grens | May 30, 2017 | 2 min read
Nearly half of the corals in a nature preserve off Oahu bleached in recent years, according to a study.
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