Climate change has fueled coral reef bleaching throughout the tropics, with negative consequences for reef ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
Climate change has fueled coral reef bleaching throughout the tropics, with negative consequences for reef ecosystems and the people who depend on them. A new study finds that in the Caribbean, independent island nations such as Cuba and Jamaica are less vulnerable to coral bleaching than island territories like Saint Barthélemy.
The study, published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B and led by UC Berkeley graduate student Katherine Siegel, uses a compilation of environmental, socioeconomic, and management data from 30 Caribbean islands to assess variation in social and ecological vulnerability to coral bleaching.
Coral bleaching—which occurs when corals expel the algae living within their tissues—is often caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures. Corals are the cornerstones of reef ecosystems. If a bleaching event is prolonged and causes enough corals to die, the entire reef ecosystem can become severely compromised. Coral bleaching can have ripple effects for coastal communities that depend on reef ecosystems for benefits such as seafood, tourism, and shoreline protection.
“This study brings together data on 35 biophysical, ecological, socioeconomic, and management variables to create important advances in understanding climate change vulnerability in the Caribbean,” said Siegel, a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
Read more at University of California - Berkeley
Image: Coral bleaching is often caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures and impacts the communities that rely on the Caribbean sea for food and tourism. (Credit: UC Berkeley Photo by Katherine Siegel)
