{"id":29549,"date":"2025-09-17T17:14:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=29549"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:14:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:14:52","slug":"coral-reefs-could-risk-extinction-by-2100-without-climate-action-study-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/coral-reefs-could-risk-extinction-by-2100-without-climate-action-study-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"Coral Reefs Could Risk Extinction by 2100 Without Climate Action, Study Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study led by the University of Exeter emphasizes the alarming rate at which coral reefs could stop growing due to climate change, projecting massive ecological and socio-economic consequences if global temperatures exceed 2\u00b0C.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Most coral reefs in the western Atlantic are on the brink of halting growth and could begin to erode significantly by mid-century if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a new study reveals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An international team led by scientists from the University of Exeter assessed 400 reef sites around Florida, Mexico and Bonaire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-09439-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Nature, suggest that more than 70% of these reefs will cease to grow by 2040, with the figure rising to over 99% by 2100 if warming persists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur research shows that under current CO<sub>2<\/sub>\u00a0 emission scenarios most Atlantic coral reefs will not only stop growing but many will actually be eroding by mid-century,\u201d lead author Chris Perry, a professor at the University of Exeter, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coral reefs are vital for marine biodiversity, coastal protection and the livelihoods of millions of people. However, climate change coupled with coral disease and deteriorating water quality is diminishing reef growth by killing corals and slowing colony growth rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study combined fossil reef data from the tropical western Atlantic with ecological information from modern reef sites to calculate current and future growth rates. This comprehensive analysis underscores the delicate balance disrupted by global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cClimate change is not only accelerating this decline but also worsening the cascading ecological and socio-economic consequences of their loss,\u201d added co-author Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip from the Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As sea levels rise, the inability of reefs to keep pace will result in increased water depths above reefs, escalating flood risks and altering nearshore ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith reefs and sea levels moving in opposite directions, water depths above reefs will increase &#8212; raising flooding risks along vulnerable reef-fronted coasts and fundamentally changing nearshore ecosystems,\u201d Perry added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study projects water depth increases of up to 1.2 meters by the end of the century if higher warming rates are realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reef growth is heavily influenced by the quantity and types of living coral. Disease outbreaks, bleaching events triggered by high temperatures, and other factors have drastically reduced key reef-building species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are witnessing an alarming decline in both the abundance and diversity of corals across Atlantic coral reefs,\u201d Alvarez-Filip added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One potential solution is coral restoration combined with effective land and water management, and urgent climate mitigation actions to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe scale of action required to reverse current coral losses is significant,\u201d added co-author Alice Webb from the University of Exeter. \u201cTo have meaningful effects on limiting water depth increases, any restoration will need to occur in tandem with effective land and water management, and rapid climate mitigation actions. Actions to keep warming below 2\u00b0C are critical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perry stressed the importance of immediate action, concluding: \u201cWe are moving into a period where the two factors that control water depths above coral reefs &#8212; vertical reef growth rate and sea level rise rate &#8212; are starting to operate in increasingly divergent directions. Limiting climate warming is critical if we are to try to mitigate this and to avoid the worst impacts for coastlines and coastal ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.exeter.ac.uk\/faculty-of-environment-science-and-economy\/coral-reefs-set-to-stop-growing-as-climate-warms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Exeter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most coral reefs in the western Atlantic are on the brink of halting growth and could begin to erode significantly by mid-century if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a new study reveals. An international team led by scientists from the University of Exeter assessed 400 reef sites around Florida, Mexico [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[118],"class_list":["post-29549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-and-environment","tag-university-of-exeter"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Most coral reefs in the western Atlantic are on the brink of halting growth and could begin to erode significantly by mid-century if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a new study reveals. An international team led by scientists from the University of Exeter assessed 400 reef sites around Florida, Mexico&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29549"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29566,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29549\/revisions\/29566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}