Can pumping up cold water from deep within the ocean halt coral bleaching?

Pumping Up Cold Water From Deep Within the Ocean to Halt Coral Bleaching. New research shows that pulses of cooler deep water reduced heat stress responses in corals.

How does cold water affect coral reefs?

Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs. Rising (or even falling) water temperatures can stress coral polyps, causing them to lose algae (or zooxanthellae) that live in the polpys’ tissues.

Can coral bleaching occur in cold water?

When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. In January 2010, cold water temperatures in the Florida Keys caused a coral bleaching event that resulted in some coral death.

How does water depth affect coral?

Depth is known to influence many factors on reef ecosystems for both coral and reef fish communities, influencing the structure of coral reef communities mainly due to light attenuation, changes in water temperature and resource availability [9, 10, 11].

Is the Great Barrier Reef cold or warm water?

The Great Barrier Reef is a warm water shallow reef. The Irish coral reefs are coldwater reefs. They don’t need the sunlight to make food so they are found much deeper in the sea. As there is no sunlight, the water is cold.

What is artificial upwelling?

Artificial upwelling (AU) is a novel geo-engineering technology that brings seawater from deep in the ocean to the surface. The technique aims to artificially pump up cooler, nutrient-rich waters from the deep to stimulate phytoplankton activity and draw down carbon dioxide.

How does ocean warming affect coral reefs?

Climate change dramatically affects coral reef ecosystems A warming ocean: causes thermal stress that contributes to coral bleaching and infectious disease. Sea level rise: may lead to increases in sedimentation for reefs located near land-based sources of sediment.

What causes coral bleaching?

What triggers coral bleaching? The leading cause of coral bleaching is climate change. A warming planet means a warming ocean, and a change in water temperature—as little as 2 degrees Fahrenheit—can cause coral to drive out algae.

How does coral bleaching occur?

Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by a change in environmental conditions. They react by expelling the symbiotic algae that live in their tissues and then turn completely white. The symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, are photosynthetic and provide their host coral with food in return for protection.

How does coral bleaching impact coral reefs and biodiversity?

When corals overheat, they react to the stress by expelling their algae, which results in coral bleaching. Bleaching leaves corals vulnerable to disease, stunts their growth, affects their reproduction, and can impact other species that depend on the coral communities. Severe bleaching kills them.

How do deep water corals survive?

Unlike shallow-water corals, however, deep-sea corals don’t need sunlight . They obtain the energy and nutrients they need to survive by trapping tiny organisms in passing currents. Within the last 20 years scientists, aided by technological advances, have uncovered one surprise after another about deep-sea corals.

What do deep-sea cold-water corals live on?

zooplankton
Corals are sedentary, so they must live near nutrient-rich water currents. Deep-water corals feed on zooplankton and rely on ocean currents to bring food. The currents also aid in cleaning the corals. Deep-water corals grow more slowly than tropical corals because there are no zooxanthellae to feed them.