Belize Barrier Reef in danger as coral growth struggles against rising sea levels

By Horace Palacio: A recent study sourced from Earth.com unveils alarming news regarding the fate of coral reefs, particularly in Belize. The extensive research uncovers that coral growth rates are insufficient to keep pace with the continually rising sea levels.

Centered on an in-depth analysis of 22 drill cores extracted from the Belize barrier reef and its atolls, the study investigates a 9,000-year timeline of coral growth. The extracted cores cumulatively measured an extensive 215 meters. Utilizing radioisotope dating, the researchers discerned the age of the coral fragments by assessing the decay rates of radioactive samples. This method permitted them to gauge growth rates by examining the distances between the samples in these drill cores.

Professor Eberhard Gischler of Goethe University remarked, “Our data reveals a decline in coral accretion rates in Belize throughout the Holocene.” Despite the average accretion rates aligning with those from other regions in the western Atlantic, they significantly lag behind those in the Indo-Pacific.

Such data holds tremendous implications, especially for tropical nations that rely on the protective shield of coral reefs. This revelation becomes increasingly critical in the broader discussions surrounding climate change. Gischler further highlighted that the recorded growth rates lie on the lower spectrum of the predictions made by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concerning the prospective rise in sea levels by 2100.

Adding to the concern, the study validates the witnessed decline of live corals in the Caribbean. Instead of corals, many reefs are now predominantly occupied by fleshy algae and generalistic weedy taxa. Contrastingly, older reef sections primarily consist of stress-tolerant, reef-building corals.

The study also unveiled century-long gaps in the fossil records of the rapid-growing Acropora palmata or elkhorn coral. These gaps may signify historical environmental changes, such as heightened temperatures, augmented storm activities, or fluctuating nutrient supply. One such notable gap, approximately 4,000 years ago, aligns with a potential mass mortality incident impacting grazing echinoids in the region.

Gischler elaborates on the significance of the study, emphasizing that these drill core examinations provide profound insights into the ecological and environmental conditions of the past. Such historical data can guide current evaluations on whether the ongoing decline in coral and coral reefs is truly unparalleled.

Confronted with threats from global warming, ocean acidification, deteriorating water quality, and diseases, coral reefs face an uncertain future. The latest findings accentuate the grim possibility that tropical coral reefs might be among the earliest casualties of climate change, owing to their inability to match the pace of rising sea levels.

The detailed study and its findings are available in the journal Scientific Reports.

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