Project Summary Corals face threats from climate change such as increased sea temperatures. Even small increases above summer average temperature can affect corals. When this happens they lose the symbiotic algae that live in their tissue and provide them with food. Corals that lose symbionts appear white as if they were bleached and may die. Death due to [...]
Project Summary Climate change is one of the greatest threats to coral reefs and coastal communities. Increased sea temperatures and sea levels from climate change can kill reef building corals and drown mangrove forests next to developed areas. Because corals and mangroves naturally reduce wave energy and trap sediments, their loss leads to increased shoreline erosion. This puts coastal communities [...]
Project Summary Corals live within a limited temperature range. As such, they are extremely vulnerable to changes in temperature. During the heat of late summer, sea temperatures that warm even a fraction of a degree above normal temperatures can cause corals to lose the symbiotic single cell algae that live within their tissues providing them with [...]