Since the Mid-Holocene, some 5000 years ago, coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean have been vertically constrained by sea level. Contemporary sea-level rise is releasing these constraints, providing accommodation space for vertical reef expansion. Here, the researchers show that Porites microatolls, from reef-flat environments in Palau (western Pacific Ocean), are ‘keeping up’ with contemporary sea-level rise. Measurements of 570 reef-flat Porites microatolls at 10 locations around Palau revealed recent vertical skeletal extension (78±13 mm) over the last 6–8 years, which is consistent with the timing of the recent increase in sea level.
Original Source [2]
Technology Partners: MimirTech
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/keep-or-drown-adjustment-western-pacific-coral-reefs-sea-level-rise-21st-century
[2] http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/7/150181
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/r-van-woesik
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/y-golbuu
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/g-roff
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/royal-society-open-science
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/sea-level-rise
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/corals
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-change
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-impacts
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/marine-ecosystems
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/green-house-gases
