A Tool to Help Stop the Extinction of Coral Reefs

A Tool to Help Stop the Extinction of Coral Reefs

An international team of scientists has recently formulated a new predictive method to determine the factors that put coral reefs at risk, and that also measures the level of danger to the reefs. This new method of "rating" coral reefs, created after several exhaustive studies on hundreds of types of coral reefs, and species that live within coral reefs, allow scientists to pinpoint the environmental and local changes that are killing coral reefs worldwide. The studies the team performed revealed that over one third of all coral reefs are in danger of being killed; 56 of the 134 species of coral fish studied were in danger of going extinct. As Dr Nick Graham of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University said, when one species of coral or coral fish goes extinct, the impact on the entire ecosystem is profound. While before this study scientist's ability to predict which species of coral fish are at risk, the new method coined by this group created a worldwide standard to compare data. By understanding which species and groups of fish are  at risk, scientists can better manage coral reefs and fish populations.

NOS Themes:

-Experimentation and Study

-Peer Review and Information Sharing

Link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215102939.htm