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A certain type of coral has been discovered by marine biologists while working in the Red Sea. This they say is resistant to stresses brought about by climate change.
According to Australian scientists, this may the hope that the Great Barrier Reef is waiting for – a certain type of coral that resist even change-induced bleaching.
A team of researchers from Israel and Switzerland has made it their mission to monitor the decline of the world’s coral population of the Gulf of Aqaba, just west of the Arabian mainland. From their findings, they concluded that water temperature has seen a significant rise which in turn brought stress to the coral, the reason why some of these are now dying.
Professor Anders Meibom of the Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology says that if the rate of decline persists, it’s possible that there won’t be any reefs left on the planet by the end of the century.
However, all hope is not yet lost. The said team collected specimens of Stylophora pistillata coral and placed them in tanks. These were then subjected to rising temperatures and sub-optimal PH levels. What they found out later was phenomenal. Researcher Thomas Krueger says that c these corals have the ability to live under suboptimal temperatures and it’s also possible that these are better prepared for future ocean warming.
The scientists have reason to believe that this particular coral species was able to thrive in stress tests because the region where Gulf of Aqaba is located has a history of undergoing extreme climate changes. This discovery is considered very significant in the field of science.
Associate Professor David Suggett who is from the Future Reefs Program at the University of Technology Sydney says that with this news, people could expect a different future for the coral reefs around the globe.
One of the possible beneficiaries could be the Great Barrier Reef, where this was reported to have deteriorated due to high water temperatures. While re-seeding the barrier reef with the more resistant coral is still untested, the scientists say that this could be a game changer if it proves possible.
