Some corals can recover from bleaching even in long heatwaves as long as humans don't interfere, scientists said, raising hopes for the endangered underwater ecosystems essential to much marine life.
Researchers tracked corals of the Kiritimati atoll in the Pacific Ocean through the longest tropical heatwave on record, expecting the reefs to suffer mass bleaching.
But despite sitting in a "hot water bath" for 10 months due to a particularly strong 2015/2016 El Nino, the studied corals survived.
"We were blown away... to find that not only were all the corals not dead! But some of them didn't even look to be in bad shape or bleached," said Julia Baum, co-author of the study published in Nature Communications.
"They had recovered while still under these stressful conditions!" the biology professor at Canadian Victoria University told AFP.
However, there is a catch. Only the corals undisturbed by human stress factors such as water pollution were more likely to survive the heatwave.
"We found that corals were only able to recover from bleaching while at elevated temperatures if they were not also exposed to other strong local stressors," Baum said.
Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but support a quarter of marine species, providing them with food and shelter.
Warming waters due to climate change cause corals to expel the food-producing algae living in their tissues, breaking down their symbiotic relationship and leading to loss of colour and life in the process known as bleaching.
Recent spikes in tropical and sub-tropical sea surface temperatures, magnified by an especially potent El Nino, have triggered an unprecedented mass bleaching of corals, affecting 75 percent of global reefs.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2018 issued its landmark report on the Paris deal temperature goals -- "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and a cap of 1.5C if at all possible.
It found that at 1.5C hotter, more than 70 percent of Earth's coral reefs will likely die off. At 2C, that increases to 99 percent.
But the discovery that certain types of corals can recover from being exposed to long heatwaves offers a "glimmer of hope" for the rich marine ecosystem, the authors said in the study.
The results show local protection strategies can have an impact on saving the corals, providing incentive to continue efforts to protect reefs.
"If we are to save these magnificent ecosystems overall, the world must get climate change under control," said Baum.
"But this new discovery... might buy some corals a bit of time under climate change."
AFP RELAXNEWS
Wed Dec 09 2020
A diver swims over corals off Koh Tao island in the Gulf of Thailand. AFPRelaxpic
Thailand: Enam muka baharu sertai Kabinet Srettha
Perdana Menteri Thailand Srettha Thavisin melantik enam menteri kabinet baharu.
Anwar bertemu PM Jordan, tekan kepentingan sokong pengiktirafan negara Palestin di PBB
Pada pertemuan itu, Perdana Menteri turut menekankan kepentingan memastikan Israel dipertanggungjawabkan terhadap kekejamannya di Palestin.
Lebih ramai atlet dijangka layak ke Paris 2024
Kontinjen Malaysia ke Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024 terus diperkuat dengan empat lagi atlet berjaya mengesahkan slot ke temasya terbesar dunia itu minggu ini, menjadikan sejumlah 10 atlet layak setakat ini
AWANI Ringkas: Polis sahkan Chegu Bard direman dua hari
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Pegawai kastam maut dalam kemalangan babit tiga kenderaan
Seorang pegawai kastam maut dalam kemalangan membabitkan tiga kenderaan di Kilometer 18.2 Lebuh Raya Utara Selatan arah Utara, semalam.
AWANI 7:45 [28/04/2024] – Malaysia tumpu pelaburan baharu | Pertumbuhan saksama dan inklusif | Kajian pertubuhan buruh antarabangsa | Tabung Haji teruskan bantuan
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas #AWANI745 bersama Dzulfitri Yusof
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Liek Hou rangkul dua lagi emas di Sepanyol
Jaguh badminton para negara Cheah Liek Hou terus cemerlang apabila menggondol dua pingat emas pada Kejohanan Badminton Para Sepanyol Antarabangsa II 2024 pada Sabtu.
Negara maju harus tundukkan 'ego' dan bekerjasama dengan ASEAN - Penganalisis
Menurut Faisal, ini kerana negara membangun di ASEAN sedang mencorak ekonomi ke arah lebih mampan yang perlu dimanfaatkan negara maju
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara - Ewon
Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai "duta" untuk mempromosikan produk PMKS dan koperasi negara.
Fokus Minggu Depan: Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama
Break The Siege: Fokus Minggu Depan membincangkan topik Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama susulan penangguhan misi penghantaran bantuan ke Gaza anjuran Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).