Coral reefs are facing another global bleaching event due to climate change

 

Coral reefs are facing another global bleaching event due to climate change, with the fourth mass bleaching event reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, researchers are working on innovative solutions to conserve and restore these vital ecosystems. Diego Lirman, an associate professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami, is leading an experiment that combines natural corals with artificial structures to create hybrid reefs.

Lirman's ECoREEF project aims to mimic the effects of real reefs and provide a sustainable solution to protect shorelines from storm damage. The hybrid reefs consist of a concrete foundation covered with transplanted corals from Lirman's nurseries. The experiment has shown promising results, with a reduction in wave action by 60-70% and an additional 15-20% reduction with the presence of corals.

The ECoREEF project has been deployed in partnership with the city of Miami Beach, with two hybrid reefs installed in March 2023. Over the past year, the reefs have attracted various fish species, turtles, sharks, and rays, and the corals have grown and flourished. The team is now studying how different species and genotypes survive in these conditions and how resilient they are to high temperatures.

Lirman's team has been growing and testing coral colonies for over 15 years, trying to understand why some corals survive while others die. They are using this information to create climate-resistant corals and experimenting with "stress hardening" to prime corals' physiological response to fluctuating ocean temperatures.

The lab plants 10,000 to 15,000 corals onto Miami-Dade reefs every year and plans to expand the ECoREEF project significantly with US Department of Defense funding. The project's success could serve as an example for other seaboard cities worldwide, but Lirman emphasizes the need to curb climate-warming carbon emissions to save our coastlines.

Artificial reefs are being implemented globally to restore marine ecosystems, but factors like location, design, and placement can influence their effectiveness. Lirman's hybrid reefs offer a promising solution to protect shorelines and promote coral survival, but it is crucial to address the root cause of coral decline - climate change.