Conversely, at the same time as the deeper reefs were bleaching, they observed shallow water reefs exhibiting no sign of harm. Images from the underwater cameras were being transmitted live onto the research vessel, and gave the research team its first glimpse of the corals that had been bleached. The first evidence of the coral damage was observed during a research cruise in November 2019, during which scientists were using remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with cameras to monitor the coral health below the ocean surface. On their research cruises, they use a combination of in situ monitoring, underwater robots and satellite-generated oceanographic data to understand more about the region’s unique oceanography and the life it supports. Researchers from the University have been studying the Central Indian Ocean for well over a decade, with their work supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Bertarelli Foundation. However, that is clearly not the case and – as a result – there are likely to be reefs at similar depths all over the world that are at threat from similar climatic changes.” Deeper corals had always been thought of as being resilient to ocean warming, because the waters they inhabit are cooler than at the surface and were believed to remain relatively stable. The findings, highlighted in a study published in Nature Communications, were discovered by researchers from the University of Plymouth.ĭr Phil Hosegood, Associate Professor in Physical Oceanography at the University of Plymouth and lead on the project, said: “There are no two ways about it, this is a huge surprise. However, scientists say it serves as a stark warning of the harm caused in our ocean by rising ocean temperatures, and also of the hidden damage being caused throughout the natural world as a result of climate change. The damage – attributed to a 30% rise in sea temperatures caused by the Indian Ocean dipole – harmed up to 80% of the reefs in certain parts of the seabed, at depths previously thought to be resilient to ocean warming. Scientists have discovered the deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching, more than 90 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean.

The evidence of coral damage was observed during a research cruise in November 2019, during which scientists from the University of Plymouth were using remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with cameras to monitor the coral health below the ocean surface view more

Coral reef animals octopus home screen