Research
Deep reefs provide corals little refuge from extreme ocean heat
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- A new study in Geophysical Research Letters finds that deep reefs, at depths of 90 to 150 meters (295 to 490 feet), no longer shelter corals from increasingly intense marine heat waves.
- Deep reefs were previously considered potential safe havens for corals in a warming climate.
Why it matters
Deep reefs had been seen as a possible refuge for corals under climate change, so this finding removes that option from conservation planning and shows that marine heat waves now reach these depths.
Who’s affected
- coral reef researchers and marine ecologists
- reef managers and conservation planners
- #coral reefs
- #marine heat waves
- #ocean warming
- #deep reefs
- #climate change
Once regarded as potential safe havens for corals in a warming climate, deep reefs, which lie at depths between 90 and 150 meters (295 and 490 feet), are no longer sheltered from increasingly intense marine heat waves, according to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters.