Originally published in Crikey, December 11 2012
New research has provided some positive news for our coral reefs — they may be more resistant to future climate change than first thought.
But researchers warn this doesn’t mean we can stop worrying about the health of coral reefs. Rather, we may now be seeing a silver lining to some very dark climate clouds.
Data from the Australian National University has shown that one key part of the coral reef structure may be more resilient to climate change-related ocean acidification. PhD student Merinda Nash, the lead author on the piece that was published in Nature Climate Change yesterday, says it’s good news for our reefs — but that doesn’t mean we can stop worrying about their health.
Discussing articles such as that in The Australian published yesterday — “Forget the doom; coral reefs will bloom” — Nash says while she’s happy with the coverage of her work, the idea that coral reefs face no threat from impending climate change isn’t correct.
Read the full article at Crikey.com.au