Coral adaptation unlikely to keep up with global warming

Thermally sensitive corymbose Acropora corals was the focal coral taxon for this study. Image: Dr Liam Lachs.

29 November 2024
Coral adaptation to global warming will likely be overwhelmed without rapid reductions in global greenhouse gasses, according to an international team of scientists.

Professor Peter Mumby from The University of Queensland’s School of the Environment worked with Dr Liam Lachs from Newcastle University’s Coralassist Lab in the United Kingdom to model the consequences of different scenarios of global development and fossil fuel usage on coral populations.

Professor Mumby said the research revealed that it may be plausible for coral heat tolerance adaptation to keep pace with ocean warming via natural selection if Paris Agreement commitments are realised.

“If we don’t achieve commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our world is expected to warm by 3 to 5 degrees by the end of this century,” Professor Mumby said.

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