17 clever ways scientists are trying to protect coral

Scientists are currently exploring the possibility of making the clouds above the Great Barrier Reef larger and brighter in the hope that this will save it from further coral bleaching.

Researchers at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences believe that by manipulating low lying clouds over the reef to be more reflective, it will have a chance to cool the affected waters a few degrees, a critical option during any potential future El Niño climate warming occurrences.

Though this strand of research is still in early days, a number of groups are studying cloud brightening as a potential option for altering the climate as a whole. Originally presented by British scientist John Latham almost 30 years ago, the idea is that fleets of boats could spray minuscule particles of salt that have been generated from sea water into the lower lying clouds, inducing them to expand and become denser. These thicker white clouds should then be able to reflect more of the incoming heat back out into space and away from the Earth's surface. Lathem led a study in 2012 at the University of Manchester, which found that this approach could offset the resulting heat from a double the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Experts the world over are working hard to find a solution to the grim situation in the Great Barrier Reef, which is still continuing to die off since last year's extreme bout of coral bleaching. It is thought that up to half of the reef may have died, with the number of live corals falling 30% since last year.

Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau has been working with 3D printing to create, expand and restore coral reefs in a partnership with the Caribbean island resort of Harbour Village Bonaire.

Speaking to Boat International, Cousteau explained his choice of location: “The advantage Bonaire has is that it has a semblance of a healthy reef because of the protective measures that the government of Bonaire has installed decades ago.”

Made from calcium carbonate, these artificial reefs will closely mimic the shape, texture and chemical makeup of natural coral, with the aim of attracting free-floating polyps to take root and grow into new reefs.

“I think that we need to see this as one of many tools in the quiver in combating things like coral bleaching and acidification issues that are degrading our coral reefs in greater and at faster levels,” he added. “In our projects I hope that we’re able to print a billion coral structures in the long term.”

Similar trials have already begun in Monaco and the Persian Gulf and whilst it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions, the short-term data is encouraging.

Earlier this year, Fabien launched the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center, which will focus on raising awareness, creating educational material and running restoration programs for sea turtles and coral reefs.

Fabien is the grandson of underwater documentarian Jacques Cousteau, one of the most famous sea explorers who changed the world.

Breeze block pyramids are being placed on the seabed to encourage reef life to refuge on the surfaces as part of a breakthrough programme being carried out by the privately funded Dive Grenada.

It's one of the best ocean conservation stories this year — each structure is approximately two metres tall and weighs around half a tonne, but the Grand Anse Reef Regeneration Project team has devised a way to transport the towers out by boat to the chosen drop site. As well as creating new ecosystems, these areas of breeze block reefs can be used for training new divers so that natural reefs aren’t damaged.

Dive Grenada is prolific for its marine conservation efforts, and started sinking its breezeblock pyramids into the sea in 2013, with impressive results ever since. It is working in collaboration with the Fisheries Division of Grenada on the island’s first purpose-built artificial reef and the company dedicates its time and money to the Grand Anse Reef Regeneration Project. Its efforts make Grenada one of a few exciting destinations for research and conservation.

Scientists have discovered a series of “bright spots” where coral reefs are flourishing against the odds. It is hoped that these 15 spots, where ecosystems are in a much better shape than researchers had predicted they would be, could hold the key as to how to better protect corals around the world.

Researchers studied more than 6,000 reef surveys in 46 countries, making it one of the largest studies of its kind. The bright spots were mainly found in the Pacific Ocean in places such as the Solomon Islands, parts of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the island republic of Kiribati.

The report said: “Bright spots are characterised by strong sociocultural institutions such as customary taboos and marine tenure, high levels of local engagement in management, high dependence on marine resources, and beneficial environmental conditions such as deep-water refuges.”

The “bright spots” refer to areas that are not necessarily pristine but have more fish than they should given the pressures they are under.

“We wanted to know why these reefs could ‘punch above their weight’ so to speak, and whether there are lessons we can learn about how to avoid the degradation often associated with overfishing,” added lead scientist professor Josh Cinner.

Scientists in the Philippines are hoping that social media might help in the fight to save the region's coral reefs. The Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch has relaunched its online reporting platform, which encourages everyone to get involved in updating scientists and the government on the state of reefs.

Scientists are asking everyone who swims or dives near reefs to report any coral bleaching they spot via their Facebook page. The hope is that the data can then be used to understand the extent of the damage.

“Engaging with an informed citizenry, scientists, together with coastal communities, can be engaged in monitoring the entire Philippines,” said leading coral scientist Dr Porfirio Aliño. “We are relying on bridging science to responsible citizens to submit reports of bleaching or assessment reports through photos of panoramic views of healthy reefs in their areas."

As well as using its Facebook page to help record damage the Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch is also using it to help educate people on the dangers of global warming and how to spot distressed coral.

Space organisation NASA has stepped in to try and protect the world’s coral and is organising a three-year field expedition to survey endangered reefs. The COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) will measure the reefs and create a database so that changes can be monitored.

The new research will see the condition of reef systems in Florida, Hawaii, Palau, the Mariana Islands and Australia recorded using advanced instruments on airplanes and in the water.

"Right now, the state of the art for collecting coral reef data is scuba diving with a tape measure," said Eric Hochberg, CORAL principal investigator and scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science. "It's analogous to looking at a few trees and then trying to say what the forest is doing."

It is hoped that the new data will allow scientists to create a quantitative model that will show why and how reefs are changing because of environmental conditions. However, the large-scale project will cover less than 4% of the world’s coral reefs.

"Ideally, in a decade or so we'll have a satellite that can frequently and accurately observe all of the world's reefs, and we can push the science and most importantly our understanding even further," added Hochberg.

Scientists in the United States and Australia have come up with another method to try and create coral that can tolerate rising sea temperatures. They are trying to cross-breed coral so that heat-tolerant genes can be passed on.

Research lead by Mikhail Matz at the University of Texas studied coral in the Great Barrier Reef and coral from 300 miles south where the water was cooler. They discovered that coral from the warmer water was 10 times more likely to survive temperature rises. They also discovered that when coral from the two locations were cross-bred the genes for heat tolerance could be passed on.

Humble vinegar could be the latest tool to help save dying coral. Scientists in Australia have discovered that the household ingredient kills the crown-of-thorns starfish which damage the Great Barrier Reef.

A trial at the Australian Institute of Marine Science has found that injecting the starfish with vinegar showed a 100 per cent mortality rate. Vinegar is half the price of ox bile, which is currently used to combat the starfish.

The theory is still in trial stages and cannot be rolled out across the reef until scientists are sure that vinegar will not harm other species.

A new method being used to save the world’s coral is placing giant underwater metal cages fed with electric currents to encourage rapid coral growth. The electric field creates a chemical reaction that results in calcium carbonate being deposited on the metal structure, which coral likes.

One of the more successful trials of this method was in the waters surrounding Vabbinfaru island where a 12-metre steel cage called Lotus was placed on the sea floor. The cage has now been so covered with coral that it is hard to distinguish on the sea floor.

Architect Margot Krasojevic has also designed an elaborate concept for artificial reefs with electric currents, which it is hoped would both act as a reef for divers and help to protect the Indonesian coastline from tsunamis.

Scientists are using innovative 3D technology to monitor coral deterioration. A project being lead by the Hydrous team is aiming to capture the world’s coral in 3D so that any change or detrition can be easily monitored. They stitch together thousands of photographs than can either be kept as digital models or 3D printed. As well as monitoring the coral it is also hoped that the technology will make it easier for people to interact with coral.

With the same intention of making coral more accessible it is now possible to explore the oceans with Google’s new underwater Street View. After four-years of underwater mapping you can now experience some of your bucket list dives without having to even get wet.

Both of these projects hope that by showcasing the beauty of coral it will make people think more about the impact of climate change.