# Deep reefs provide corals little refuge from extreme ocean heat

Source: [Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-deep-reefs-corals-refuge-extreme.html) · 2026-11-10 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/deep-reefs-provide-corals-little-refuge-from-extreme-ocean-heat-c7d3e4837672a4fb
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In 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.

## Coverage

- [Deep reefs provide corals little refuge from extreme ocean heat](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-deep-reefs-corals-refuge-extreme.html) — Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change, 2026-11-10

Tags: coral reefs, marine heat waves, ocean warming, deep reefs, climate change

---

Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science