China
16:49, 29-Jun-2017
Unlocking the secrets of survival of Red Sea coral reefs
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In the azure waters of the Red Sea, Maoz Fine and his team dive to study what may be the planet's most unique coral: one that can survive global warming, at least for now.
The corals, striking in their red, orange and green colors, grow on tables some eight meters underwater, put there by Israeli scientists keen to unlock their secrets to survival. They are of the same species that grow elsewhere in the northern Red Sea and are resistant to high temperatures.
"We're looking here at a population of corals on a reef that is very resilient to high temperature changes, and is most likely going to be the last to survive in a world undergoing very significant warming and acidification of sea water," Fine said at his nearby office ahead of the dive.
Global warming has in recent years caused colorful coral reefs to bleach and die around the world, but not in the Gulf of Eilat, or Aqaba, part of the northern Red Sea.
(Source: AFP)