Researchers use satellite images to recognize the bleaching of corals

Anyone who follows our reporting on climate change will have read our articles about the bleaching of coral reefs a number of times. Due to climate change and the resulting warming of coastal waters, large numbers of these sea creatures die out every year. This is increasingly becoming a problem.

Because corals still secure the livelihood of millions of people, at the same time they are home to a large number of marine life. Extinction could also lead to a decrease in biodiversity in such areas. With the support of a new tool, researchers can now check the health status of over 230,000 reefs over a total area of ​​140,000 square kilometers.

This covers around 82 percent of all reefs. The whole thing happens on the basis of satellite images. Because when a coral fades, its color changes. This happens because if the ambient temperature is too high, the coloring algae dissolve, and the cnidarians usually die because of insufficient nutrient supply. This is then also visible to the outside world.

Satellites can now deliver very high-resolution images. The new type of tool uses several small and two larger satellites to take different pictures over a period of six days. This is necessary because clouds partially cover the reefs and to get the most reliable results possible. A warning or the all-clear is then issued based on the emerging color.

Because it is also important for researchers to identify so-called refuges. These are the areas where corals can still survive and not bleach. Armed with this data, the aim is to work with governments and companies to find ways to save at least some of the coral population. If our planet warms up by just 1.5 degrees (currently it looks more like more), then in the next decades 70 to 90 percent of all corals will bleach and die.

Own opinion:

Data is the currency of the 21st century. This is also clear in research, with the new detection method we could quickly identify a decrease in the population and take countermeasures early on. Nevertheless, our goal must remain to limit the warming to below 2 degrees. Because only then do animals, plants and humans have a chance to survive sustainably.

Via The Guardian