Can Coral Reefs Recover From Bleaching? Yes, If We Cut the Local Stress

The biggest threat to coral reefs is global, but part of the answer is local. Climate change is the single greatest global threat to coral reefs, and there are no quick fixes for it. Yet a reef that is not also struggling with pollution and overfishing has a better chance of surviving a large climate event such as bleaching — or of recovering afterward.

Coral reefs in the clear waters of Kure Atoll, in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Credit: NOAA.

What climate change does to reefs

Climate change and ocean acidification can cause mass coral bleaching, make corals more susceptible to disease, slow their growth and reproduction, and degrade the structure of the reef.

Long term and short term

In the long run, the world's reefs will benefit most from a reduction in greenhouse gases. In the short run, reefs can be made more resilient by tackling local stresses, such as runoff from land-based pollution and overharvesting of fish.

What resilience means

A resilient coral reef is one that can either resist a large-scale stressful event or recover from it. That depends on keeping local threats to a minimum, which reduces stress and improves the reef's overall condition. NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program helps local managers and communities do exactly that, and scientists are refining ways to measure how resilient a reef ecosystem is, so managers can take the actions with the greatest effect.

Why it is worth the effort

Healthy coral reefs support an extraordinary diversity of marine life — they are often called the rainforests of the sea — and they give people coastal protection, food, jobs, medicine and recreation.

Sources

Based on "Can a coral reef recover from bleaching and other stressful events?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.