Coral Reefs

But scientists are having a hard time illustrating these problems as shifting baselines continue to redefine what is considered normal for reef health.

• By Todd Woody

Australian scientists now report that coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has fallen sharply in all three sections of the reef for the first time in 35 years of continuous monitoring.

• By Todd Woody

New research finds that the biomass of the entire fish community was nearly 50 percent larger around the rat-free islands.

• By John C. Cannon

According to a recent study, losing just the top three feet of coral reef could result in $4 billion a year in flood-related damages.

• By Matthew O. Berger

An innovative monitoring system would allow researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists to track reef damaging events across the globe in near-real time.

• By Rhett A. Butler

Lionfish are non-native invaders introduced to Florida waters 30 years ago that have since proliferated to pestilent levels and unleashed an ecological crisis that is only getting worse

• By Alastair Bland

Highlighting the mess humans have made of the planet—and radical plans to fix it.

• By Ashley Hackett

Heat-tolerant genes may spread through coral populations fast enough to give the marine creatures a tool to survive another 100 years of warming in our oceans.

• By Kate Wheeling

As a result of rising ocean temperatures coral bleaching is becoming more common, and it's causing a biotic homogenization of local fish populations.

• By Todd Woody

New research shows the extent to which our dependence on plastic is infecting, damaging, and killing coral reefs from Thailand to Australia.

• By Todd Woody

Experts are hoping that new captive breeding programs, replacing harmful fishing practices, could help prevent future harm to coral reef ecosystems.

• By Alastair Bland

A new study shows that coral bleaching events are recurring faster than reef ecosystems can recover.

• By Kate Wheeling

It appears that dust blown off the Sahara desert may be initiating harmful bacteria growth in coral reefs across the Atlantic.

• By Maite Ghazaleh Bucher

The technique involves planting fragments of nursery-raised coral on reefs in the wild to replenish depleted colonies.

• By Mike Gaworecki

Raja Ampat, an island chain off the coast of New Guinea, is home to perhaps the world's richest marine biodiversity

• By Basten Gokkon

Coral ecosystems around the globe are collapsing thanks in large part to human activities. How far should we go to save them?

• By Kate Wheeling

Given the dual threats of climate change and increased tourism, conservationists are attempting to gather all the data they can before it’s too late.

• By Kyle Deas

Given the dual threats of climate change and increased tourism, conservationists are attempting to gather all the data they can before it’s too late.

• By Kyle Deas

El Niño storms seem to be strengthening due to climate change, and in turn intensifying coral bleaching. This is particularly vivid at Christmas Island, where the water has warmed the most.

• By Robynne Boyd

In 2011, 1,000 times more tourists visited Roatán than in 1969.

• By Francie Diep

As an old embargo lifts, a new vacation spot emerges.

• By Doug Struck

New research shows that it will take decades for protected reefs to bounce back, but even minor fishing restrictions can have significant benefits for marine ecosystems.

• By Kate Wheeling

Protecting the fish that graze among coral reefs could be one way to save ourselves from rising seas.

• By John Upton