Know the “Super Corals” that Can Adapt to Ocean Warming

Researchers have discovered resilient “super corals” in an atoll in French Polynesia, located in the Pacific Ocean. These corals exhibit a remarkable ability to withstand and adapt to rising ocean temperatures resulting from climate change.

These corals could be crucial in protecting and restoring reef ecosystems worldwide as environmental pressures intensify.

Rising ocean temperatures, a primary consequence of climate change, are the primary cause of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching happens when corals are under stress and expel the microscopic algae that live in their tissues.

Corals rely on algae for their health and colour. Without these algae, their tissues become transparent, revealing their white skeletons. While bleached corals are not dead, they are at a higher risk of starvation and disease. A temperature increase of just one degree Celsius for only four weeks can trigger this bleaching process.

The past two decades have witnessed several widespread coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s most extensive coral reef system located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Four mass bleaching events have occurred in the last seven years.

Why does coral bleaching matter?

Coral bleaching is a serious issue because when corals die, reefs rarely recover. With so few surviving corals, reproduction becomes difficult, and entire reef ecosystems, vital to people and wildlife, begin to break down.

Coral bleaching can seriously affect people’s livelihoods, food security, and safety, especially for those living in coastal areas.

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, supporting thousands of marine species, including sea turtles, fish, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, seabirds, and starfish.

These reefs provide shelter, breeding grounds, and protection from predators, and they play a crucial role in sustaining life at the base of ocean food chains. As coral reefs disappear, many already-threatened species may edge closer to extinction.

Coral reefs serve as natural barriers by absorbing the energy from waves and storm surges, which helps protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion. However, when reefs deteriorate, this natural protection diminishes. Additionally, communities that rely on fishing and marine resources for their income and food face risks as reef ecosystems decline.

Scientists Discover Heat-Resistant Corals

Good news! UNESCO-backed research has discovered dozens of heat-resistant coral species in the Tatakoto atoll, French Polynesia.

A team of marine biologists called them “super corals” because they thrive in significantly warm waters in the semi-enclosed lagoons, which have only small channels that allow Pacific Ocean water to flow in, resulting in waters that are up to 4°c hotter than the surrounding ocean water. March is the warmest month that could bring water temperature up to 95°f (35°C), which is about 7°f to 9°f (4°C or 5°C) higher than the more expansive ocean, according to France’s National Scientific Research Centre (CRNS), which is behind the study.

Instead of bleaching like other coral reefs due to the heat stress caused by climate change, these corals are surviving abnormally warm waters. Since 2021, expeditions by a group of marine biologists, led by Laetitia Hédouin, director of research at the CNRS and a specialist in coral reefs, have been studying these heat-resistant corals. They believe these corals have developed a “biological mechanism” that helps them survive.

The study aims to reproduce these corals outside the lagoon, particularly in new environments where corals have suffered coral bleaching.  Scientists have relocated these corals to another archipelago area to determine if they can adapt and thrive in cooler waters.

If the Tatakoto corals successfully survive their assisted migration, the lagoon could become an essential source of heat-resistant corals. Researchers hope these corals will help restore damaged reefs worldwide, which are threatened by rising ocean temperatures due to climate change.

Read the sources below to discover more about these remarkable corals and the dangers of climate change to coral reefs worldwide.