Scientists Meet To Attempt To Save Coral Reefs

The topic of global warming concerning the oceans always involves the impact on coral reefs. Coral worldwide are disappearing or suffering under the current ocean conditions due to rising temperatures and acidity. Coral reefs only make up about 0.25 percent of the ocean, however, they are extremely important to the oceans and the ecosystems that rely solely on them.

Coral reefs are home to a countless number of fish and other aquatic species in the oceans. In addition, coral reefs provide protection for the coasts. Due to the immense aquatic life surrounding coral reefs, upwards of 500 million people actually rely on coral reefs for food and employment.

Prior to the long awaited meeting in December in Copenhagen, a group of 16 legislators from different countries are meeting in Copenhagen. The group is discussing the recent evidence from scientists which have determined that coral reefs will most likely disappear even if extensive regulations are put in place around the world to combat global warming.

The Coral Triangle, which is in South East Asia, was recently pinpointed as one area of coral that will disappear by the end of the century due to global warming. Due to the increasingly negative research findings regarding coral, scientists have suggested a new way of preserving coral: freezing them.

Some scientists have suggested that coral samples be stored in liquid nitrogen. The suggestion entails freezing a great deal of samples in order to reintroduce the coral if oceans are improved through changes in regulations around the world.

Simon Harding, from the Zoological Society of London, stated:  “It’s the last ditch effort to save biodiversity from the reefs which are extremely diverse systems. It would take other work to try and reconstruct the reef so that you can start the process of building up a reef again. That is something that needs to be looked at in detail, but we can definitely store the species and save them in that way.”