Coral reefs may succumb to erosion

Science Line - Coral may be in imminent danger, warned a study reported in Nature this September. According to the report, the majority of coral reefs in the Western Atlantic may not be able to keep up with rising sea levels and will succumb to erosion if global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius, as is expected by 2050.

To understand the impacts, researchers at the University of Exeter in the U.K. gathered eight years of data from over 400 reefs throughout the Western Atlantic, focusing on sites where data is most prevalent. In the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico and Bonaire in the Caribbean, they examined the rates at which coral reefs are growing and eroding, known as reef accretion potential (RAP), to project what may happen as a result of rising temperatures. 

.... They estimated that by 2040, more than 70% of reefs may enter a state of “net erosion,” meaning they will erode faster than they can grow. The trouble will arise from both warmer ocean water and higher sea levels, which the researchers estimate may increase by roughly 10 to 25 centimeters (3.9 to 9.8 inches) above present levels, depending on location and emissions scenario.