New coral bleaching database developed to protect reefs worldwide

Today’s Video of the Day comes from the University of British Columbia and features a look at the new coral bleaching database that has been developed to help protect reefs across the globe.

A team of researchers has built the database by compiling research from academic journals and government documents. The hope is that the resource will help scientists more accurately monitor and predict coral bleaching events.

“We know that mass coral bleaching is happening all over the world, but the majority of events are in places in the developing world where the capacity for monitoring them is limited,” said Simon Donner, associate professor at the University of British Columbia. “But no report doesn’t mean bleaching didn’t happen. It could be that the monitoring resources are not available or the reefs are too remote to visit.”

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By Rory Arnold, Earth.com

Source: Sachi Wickramasinghe/ University of British Columbia