Caribbean coral reefs have been warming for at least 100 years
Data also reveals increase in amount and length of reef-disrupting
abnormal heatwave events
Date:
March 9, 2022
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
A new analysis outlines 150 years of sea-surface temperature history
throughout the Greater Caribbean region, highlighting significant
warming trends that have disrupted coral reef ecosystems.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new analysis outlines 150 years of sea-surface temperature history
throughout the Greater Caribbean region, highlighting significant warming trends that have disrupted coral reef ecosystems. Colleen Bove of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues present these findings in the open- access journal PLOS Climate on March 9.
==========================================================================
In addition to heating the atmosphere, climate change caused by human
activity heats the world's oceans, disrupting marine ecosystems. Previous research has documented dramatic warming-induced changes to coral reef ecosystems worldwide -- and in the Caribbean in particular -- identifying
such effects as mass coral mortality through coral bleaching and loss
of reef-dependent fish.
Building on prior research, Bove and colleagues have now conducted an
updated analysis of sea-surface temperature trends for Caribbean coral
reefs. They first built a database of 5,326 Caribbean coral reefs, each
located in one of eight sub-regions. Then, they used three open-access
datasets of satellite and on-location sea-surface temperature observations
to assess the history of warming from 1871 through 2020.
The analysis showed that, regionwide, Caribbean coral reefs have been
warming since 1915. However, in four of the eight sub-regions, warming
began earlier, during the second half of the nineteenth century.
The researchers found that Caribbean reefs have warmed by a total of 0.5
to 1DEGC in the past century, with different sub-regions experiencing
different rates of warming from each other and over time. The data suggest that, if warming continues in a similar manner, these ecosystems will
warm further by an average of about 1.5DEGC by the year 2100.
The analysis also assessed the occurrence of marine heatwaves --
brief periods of unusually high ocean temperatures. They found that the frequency and length of these events are rising throughout the Caribbean,
with reefs now experiencing an average of five per year, up from one
per year in the 1980s.
On the basis of their findings and other studies, the researchers call
for urgent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as efforts to
address local and regional stressors of coral reef ecosystems, such as
fishing and pollution, in the Caribbean and beyond.
The authors add: "Our study indicates that coral reefs have been
warming for at least a century and many reefs across the Caribbean have
already warmed by a degree Celsius. This explains why we have seen such devastating declines in the health of this invaluable ecosystem."
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Colleen B. Bove, Laura Mudge, John F. Bruno. A century of warming on
Caribbean reefs. PLOS Climate, 2022; 1 (3): e0000002 DOI: 10.1371/
journal.pclm.0000002 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309140933.htm
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