Scientists tinker with evolution to save Hawaii coral reefs
Time:2024-05-21 06:41:28 Source:sportViews(143)
COCONUT ISLAND, Hawaii (AP) — Scientists at a research center on Hawaii’s Coconut Island have embarked on an experiment to grow “super coral” that they hope can withstand the hotter and more acidic oceans that are expected with global warming.
The quest to grow the hearty coral comes at a time when researchers are warning about the dire health of the world’s reefs, which create habitats for marine life, protect shorelines and drive tourist economies.
When coral is stressed by changing environmental conditions, it expels the symbiotic algae that live within it and the animal turns white or bright yellow, a process called bleaching, said Ruth Gates, director of the Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii.
If the organisms are unable to recover from these bleaching events, especially when they recur over several consecutive years, the coral will die. Gates estimated that about 60 to 80 percent of the coral in Kaneohe Bay has bleached this year.
Previous:Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Next:Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
You may also like
- Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
- Solar storm creates light show across the world, no serious problems reported
- Mariners' top reliever Matt Brash to miss the rest of season after Tommy John surgery
- US plans to impose major new tariffs on EVs, other Chinese green energy imports, AP sources say
- I was 'brokefished' by my friend for £400
- Hino truck owners in line for one
- Mother's Day: New York's Rikers Island jail gets kid
- Eurovision 2024: Dutch contestant Joost Klein kicked out
- Socialite Jasmine Hartin enjoys beach snuggle with electrician hunk