Dying Coral Reefs

Stories

14 Stories

September 2008
- Sea of New Ocean Life Discovered
  
  Sydney Morning Herald | Sep 19, 08 2:42 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Over 100 new ocean species have been discovered in coral reefs off Western Australia during a global census of marine life. They include exotic soft corals, new kinds of jellyfish, rays and shellfish, and parasites that feed on the tongues of fish, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . The discoveries are just a fraction of the new species being identified globally. More »
August 2008
- Jellyfish Surge Is Ocean Call for Help
  
  New York Times | Aug 3, 08 7:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Jellyfish populations are surging because of rising sea temperatures and overfishing, which leaves them with few predators and no competition for plankton, reports the New York Times. Fishermen are finding nets “filled with more jellyfish than fish,” said one, and swimmers are reporting increasing numbers of jellyfish stings, which can take weeks or even months to heal. In Barcelona recently, some 300 people were treated for stings within a few hours. More »
July 2008
- Corals Face Extinction
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 11, 08 2:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hundreds of species that make up the world's coral reefs are faced with extinction, which could result in the destruction of reefs that provide habitats for 25% of all marine life. Up to a third of all coral is immediately threatened, reports the Los Angeles Times . Global warming is one of the dangers to the corals, but others include over-fishing and pollution of the world's oceans, reports the Los Angeles Times . More »
January 2008
- Sunscreen Hurts Coral Reefs
  
  National Geographic | Jan 30, 08 8:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sunscreen might prevent a bad burn, but it might also be burning coral reefs, National Geographic reports. Four chemicals found in common lotions awaken viruses in algae living in coral, a new study finds; the algae then explode and can leave the reef without its food supply—causing it to turn white and die. More »
- 2005 a deadly year for Caribbean coral
  
  AFP | Jan 29, 08
  
  The Caribbean's fragile coral reefs were devastated in 2005 by a doubly whammy of record-high temperatures and 13 full-on hurricanes, according to a UN-sponsored report released Monday.
- Hurricanes and global warming devastate Caribbean coral reefs
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jan 24, 08
  
  Warmer seas and a record hurricane season in 2005 have devastated more than half of the coral reefs in the Caribbean, according to scientists. In a report published yesterday, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) warned that this severe damage to reefs would probably become a regular event given current predictions of rising global temperatures due to climate change.
- Can the crown jewel of world's coral reefs be saved?
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Jan 24, 08
  
  As the boat closes on Nusa Lembongan, the nearest of the three islands, a pod of bottlenose dolphins appears off the starboard side %u2013 the first hint visiting landlubbers get of the marine riches these waters hold. Now, local residents and businesses, conservation groups, and the Indonesian government are laying plans to preserve those riches. In February, the parties are scheduled to meet to begin figuring out how to set up an effective marine-management plan for the islands. The goal is to ensure that the islands' aquatic resources are used in a sustainable way while protecting its most...
- Coral reefs threatened by flesh-eating starfish
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jan 17, 08
  
  One of the world's richest and most precious coral reef systems is under threat from a voracious predator. The notorious Crown of thorns starfish has been found in large numbers by scientists in Halmahera, Indonesia, at the heart of the so-called 'Coral Triangle', which lies between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
- Humans have caused profound changes in Caribbean coral reefs
  
  Science Daily | Jan 9, 08
  
  Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population, reports a new study.
- Carbon emissions could destroy coral reefs by 2050
  
  People & the Planet | Jan 8, 08
  
  Carbon emissions from human activities are not just heating up the globe, they are changing the ocean's chemistry. Ocean researchers say this could soon be fatal to coral reefs, which are havens for marine biodiversity and underpin the economies of many coastal communities.
December 2007
- Dying Coral Zapped Back to Life
  
  Associated Press | Dec 5, 07 9:52 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Electrified metal structures submerged off the coast of Bali are reviving dying coral reefs, the AP reports. Low-voltage electricity pulses through cables feeding the structures, spurring pieces of damaged coral attached to them back to health. Scientist Thomas Goreau, co-creator of the 'Bio-Rock' project, is presenting his research at the climate change conference on the other side of the island. More »
September 2007
- Climate Change Can Even Muck Up Deepest Sea Creatures
  
  Independent (UK) | Sep 10, 07 3:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scientists have discovered that even the bizarre creatures that live on chemical ooze in the blackest, deepest parts of the ocean aren't safe from environmental disasters. It turns out that larvae of tiny deep-sea shrimp live on microscopic plants that rely on sunlight and filter down from the surface. More »
October 2006
- Scientists say world's coral reefs in danger; global warming likely to blame
  
  USA Today | Oct 26, 06
  
  Researchers fear over half the world's coral reefs could die in less than 25 years and say global warming may at least partly to blame. Sea temperatures are rising, weakening the reefs' resistance to increased pollutants, such as runoff from...
June 2006
- Experts tracking coral reef killers
  
  Washington Post | Jun 12, 06
  
  When death strikes a coral reef, whether from an oil spill off Mexico or sediment unleashed by a dam bursting in Hawaii, marine biologists know what to look for, but not how to document and preserve their findings so they will hold up in court.