Global warming–induced coral bleaching and destruction in shallow waters have led researchers to hypothesize that deeper waters may provide sanctuary to these corals. However, research published in Science today (July 20), finds that the depths of the ocean may not be suitable for the growth of corals from surface waters and will likely not protect them from anthropogenic harm.
“Climate change poses an imminent threat to the world’s shallow-water coral reefs,” Julia Baum, a biologist at the University of Victoria who was not involved in this study, tells The Atlantic. “As comforting as it is to imagine that they will be rescued by their deeper counterparts, this new study clearly shows that such hopes are unrealistic.”
The scientists dove into mesophotic waters—30 to 150 meters below the surface where little sunlight reaches—off the coasts of the Bahamas, Bermuda, Philippines, Curaçao, and Micronesia. They documented 687 coral species and 1,761 fish ...
