Articles for tag: coral reefs

Why Coral Reefs Are Climate Archives: Unlocking Ocean Secrets in Skeletons

Why Coral Reefs Are Climate Archives: Unlocking Ocean Secrets in Skeletons

Annette Uy

Imagine peering into a time machine, not through glass or wires, but through the dazzling, living bones of the ocean itself. Coral reefs—those vibrant underwater cities—are far more than just breathtaking habitats for tropical fish and curious divers. Hidden within their stony skeletons is a silent chronicle of our planet’s climate, preserved year after year ...

How Coral Reefs Protect Us From Storms — And Why Losing Them Is a Global Risk

How Coral Reefs Protect Us From Storms — And Why Losing Them Is a Global Risk

Annette Uy

Imagine a wall so beautiful it takes your breath away, yet so powerful it quietly saves thousands of lives every year. That’s what coral reefs are—a breathtaking natural fortress, dazzling with color and teeming with life, but also silently standing guard against the fury of nature’s worst storms. But what happens when these vibrant protectors ...

The Coral That Eats Like a Predator and Thinks Like an Ecosystem

The Coral That Eats Like a Predator and Thinks Like an Ecosystem

Annette Uy

Imagine an animal that looks like a colorful underwater flower, yet can snatch prey with lightning speed and transform entire oceans with its presence. This is the mesmerizing world of coral—creatures that defy expectations at every turn. They are hunters, architects, and community-builders all at once. In the vast blue wilderness, corals thrive by following ...

Before the Skyscrapers, Singapore Was a Coral Reef Full of Prehistoric Mollusks

Before the Skyscrapers, Singapore Was a Coral Reef Full of Prehistoric Mollusks

Annette Uy

Imagine walking through the bustling streets of Singapore today, surrounded by shimmering towers and the constant hum of city life. It’s hard to believe that beneath these concrete giants lies a story even grander—one shaped not by humans, but by the wild wonders of ancient nature. Long before Marina Bay Sands and the Supertree Grove, ...

Diver swimming near the algae

Coral Secrets Revealed: Diver-Operated Microscope Captures Photosynthesis in Real Time

April Joy Jovita

A new diver-operated microscope is revolutionizing coral research by allowing scientists to observe photosynthesis and microalgae behavior directly in the ocean. Developed by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Benthic Underwater Microscope Imaging PAM (BUMP) offers unprecedented access to coral bleaching and how they respond to environmental stress. A Technological Leap for Coral ...

Paleoerosion-planed off fossil coral in fossiliferous limestone

Prehistoric Coral Reefs Reveal What Centuries of Fishing Have Cost Us

April Joy Jovita

A groundbreaking study of 7,000-year-old fossilized coral reefs has revealed how centuries of humans have dramatically altered Caribbean reef ecosystems. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research compares ancient reef communities with modern ones, uncovering a cascade of ecological changes triggered by the loss of top predators. A Window Into Prehuman ...

an underwater view of corals and sponges in the ocean

Reef Health Check: Microbes Offer a Powerful New Monitoring Tool

Jan Otte

The “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are under crisis. Rising ocean temperatures, pollution, and acidification have driven these rich ecosystems to the brink; half of the coral cover lost since the 1950s. Conventional monitoring depends on visual polls, tracking fish numbers and coral bleaching. What if, however, the true narrative of reef health is ...