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Corals, a vital ecosystem in the ocean, are under threat because of climate change, but scientists are using a creative way to help them cope with warmer waters: by adding fat to their diet.
A group of scientists in Sydney, Australia, are feeding corals in Sydney Harbor tiny little particles of fat in an attempt to boost their chance of survival against heat stress.
In recent years, global warming has triggered coral bleaching events across the world. When the ocean water is too warm, corals will expel the algae living in their tissues, causing the coral to turn completely white. Corals can survive bleaching events, but they become more vulnerable to stress and mortality.
A study published in 2015 by Ohio State University in the United States found that fat makes coral fit to withstand climate change both in the short and long terms.
If successful, the experiment is expected to expand to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and other reefs around the world.
Some biologists have pointed out that while the method could help treat the corals, the most important thing to protect them remains cutting carbon emissions and mitigating climate change.
(Cover image via CFP)
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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466