When Joleah Lamb strapped on a scuba tank and plunged into the ocean over a decade ago, it was the first of many expeditions to examine the effects of climate change and other human-produced factors on coral.

Now, 13 years after that foray, she has contributed one of the largest amounts of data to a landmark study on how to save coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Lamb, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine School of Biological Sciences, is among more than 80 marine researchers worldwide who produced the report.

The research encompassed over 2,500 reefs across 44 countries. Lamb provided its fourth-largest dataset, containing details on more than a million individual corals. Gathering the information required painstaking visual inspection, with Lamb and colleagues swimming underwater for as much as six hours each day. Armed with special measuring tapes, waterproof paper and pencils, they recorded information on each coral, meticulously identifying the size and health of more than 300 unique species.

Key to this study were observations of bleaching, a visible indication water is too warm. When temperatures rise, corals expel algae they normally depend on for energy. The depletion robs the corals of their color and turns them white. It also eventually starves them.

"There are efforts to use drones or satellites to collect this information, but you cannot get the high resolution needed to assess the vital complex architecture of reefs unless you are in the water," said Lamb.

The scientists involved in the report say it's not too late to save reefs if three strategies are immediately enacted in the Indo-Pacific. One is protecting from human impact those that are functioning, representing 17 percent of the reefs studied. Another is helping the 54 percent that are damaged but have the potential to recover. For 28 percent, it may be too late for rescue, which suggests some coastal societies will need to transition away from depending on them.

Lamb says Americans should be concerned about the research results. "There are a lot of reefs in our territories, such as Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam," she said. "They all face severe impacts from the loss of coral reefs, including on coastal protection, food and income from tourism. And even if you don't live close to a reef, carbon emissions contribute to climate change that harms corals worldwide."

Besides university scientists, researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society, other non-profit organizations and governmental agencies participated in the study. The massive project demonstrates the need for collaboration in combatting environmental threats, she said.

"As scientists, we can tend to work in small domains and become microscopic in what we examine," she added. "We can't be that way anymore. We must work together on large global solutions that protect our world."

Research paper

Related Links
University of California - Irvine
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Commercial fishing to blame for planet's declining shark numbers
Washington (UPI) Aug 6, 2019
Shark populations are shrinking across the globe and new research suggests commercial fishing is to blame. Scientists with the Zoological Society of London analyzed shark population dynamics in ecosystems throughout the world's oceans. The data suggests shark numbers are lowest in areas closest to population centers and large fish markets. Sharks aren't just less abundant in places featuring significant commercial fishing activity, they're also smaller. The data showed marine pred ... read more