High Frequency Temperature Variability Reduces the Risk of Coral Bleaching

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2018 Apr 28

PMID 29700296

Citations 55

Authors

Aryan Safaie

Nyssa J Silbiger

Timothy R McClanahan

Geno Pawlak

Daniel J Barshis

James L Hench

Justin S Rogers

Gareth J Williams

Kristen A Davis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Coral bleaching is the detrimental expulsion of algal symbionts from their cnidarian hosts, and predominantly occurs when corals are exposed to thermal stress. The incidence and severity of bleaching is often spatially heterogeneous within reef-scales (<1 km), and is therefore not predictable using conventional remote sensing products. Here, we systematically assess the relationship between in situ measurements of 20 environmental variables, along with seven remotely sensed SST thermal stress metrics, and 81 observed bleaching events at coral reef locations spanning five major reef regions globally. We find that high-frequency temperature variability (i.e., daily temperature range) was the most influential factor in predicting bleaching prevalence and had a mitigating effect, such that a 1 °C increase in daily temperature range would reduce the odds of more severe bleaching by a factor of 33. Our findings suggest that reefs with greater high-frequency temperature variability may represent particularly important opportunities to conserve coral ecosystems against the major threat posed by warming ocean temperatures.

Citing Articles

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