Coral reefs in the Red Sea are growing at an increasingly slower pace, according to a study. In one reef area off the coast of Sudan, growth has declined by about 80 percent over the past 40 years, says marine biologist Sarah Abdelhamid of the University of Rostock, lead author of the study.
Since 1980, researchers from the German Maritime Museum have been monitoring the development of four large test areas in the Sanganeb Marine National Park off the coast of Sudan. According to the study, the coral reefs there were still among the most pristine in the Red Sea. The areas were last digitally mapped in 2019.
According to the researcher, the decline was “surprisingly significant”.
“While net reef growth averaged between 2.27 and 2.72 centimeters per year between 1980 and 1991, it was only 0.28 to 0.42 centimeters per year between 1991 and 2019, Abdelhamid said. The decline is therefore “surprisingly significant.”
According to the researchers, the area has had generally stable ecological conditions for more than 40 years, for example in terms of currents and chemical processes. However, shifts in species composition indicated a change in coral communities, partly as a result of coral bleaching during warm water events.
More resilient species are emerging
According to the maritime museum and the university, the offspring of sensitive staghorn corals (Acropora) are being replaced by more robust cat’s-foot corals (Pocillopora). “Due to climate change, warm-water events that lead to coral bleaching are becoming more frequent,” explains Götz-Bodo Reinicke of the German Oceanographic Museum, who led the study. “Reef communities have less and less time to regenerate.” More resilient species then establish themselves more successfully
Source: Krone
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