Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers widespread coral bleaching
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering widespread and severe coral bleaching due to high ocean temperatures two years after a mass bleaching event, a government agency said on Friday.
The report by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority, which manages the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, comes three days before a United Nations delegation is due to assess whether the reef’s World Heritage listing should be downgraded due to the ravages of climate change.
“Weather patterns over the next few weeks will be critical in determining the overall extent and severity of coral bleaching across the Marine Park,” the authority said.
“Bleaching has been detected across the Marine Park — it is widespread but variable, across multiple regions, ranging in impact from minor to severe,” the authority added.
J. Sumerling/Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority via AP
This photo provided by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority shows small fish in waters near Cairns, Australia, on Sept. 12, 2017.
The reef has suffered significantly from coral bleaching caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The previous bleaching damaged two-thirds of the coral.
The environmental group Greenpeace said the severe and widespread coral bleaching suffered during a La Niña weather pattern that is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures was evidence of the Australian government’s failure to protect the coral from the impacts of climate change.
“This is a sure sign that climate change caused by burning coal, oil and gas is threatening the very existence of our reef,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate Impacts Campaigner Martin Zavan said in a statement.
In July last year, Australia garnered enough international support to defer an attempt by UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, to downgrade the reef’s World Heritage status to “in danger” because of damage caused by climate change.
But the question will be back on the World Heritage Committee’s agenda at its next annual meeting in June.
A U.N. delegation will inspect the reef’s health next week.
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
A coral reef is shown in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesA coral reef is shown in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, drives a boat in Kaneohe Bay during a survey dive on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, drives a boat in Kaneohe Bay during a survey dive on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at coral growing in a tank at a lab in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at coral growing in a tank at a lab in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Coral ecologist Crawford Drury sets up test tubes to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesCoral ecologist Crawford Drury sets up test tubes to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Test tubes are set up to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesTest tubes are set up to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, leaves Coconut Island as she navigates her boat into Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, leaves Coconut Island as she navigates her boat into Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at a test tube with eggs and sperm from spawning coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at a test tube with eggs and sperm from spawning coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, uses a satellite map on her cellphone as she navigates her boat to a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, uses a satellite map on her cellphone as she navigates her boat to a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at a test tube full of coral eggs and sperm collected from a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, looks at a test tube full of coral eggs and sperm collected from a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Coral researchers shine a flood light into the Kaneohe Bay as lights from Kaneohe, Hawaii, are seen in the distance, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesCoral researchers shine a flood light into the Kaneohe Bay as lights from Kaneohe, Hawaii, are seen in the distance, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Scientists pass a test tube of coral eggs and spawn collected from a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesScientists pass a test tube of coral eggs and spawn collected from a reef in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
A researcher separates coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photos/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesA researcher separates coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photos/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
A researcher separates coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesA researcher separates coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Coral grow in a tank at a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photos/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesCoral grow in a tank at a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photos/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Coral grow in a tank at a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesCoral grow in a tank at a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, holds a juvenile coral that is growing in a tank at a lab in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, holds a juvenile coral that is growing in a tank at a lab in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Fish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesFish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Fish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesFish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, dives on a reef in Kaneohe Bay during a survey on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, dives on a reef in Kaneohe Bay during a survey on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
A coral reef is shown in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesA coral reef is shown in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Fish swim on a coral reef in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesFish swim on a coral reef in Kaneohe Bay on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Kira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, dives on a reef in Kaneohe Bay during a survey on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesKira Hughes, a coral researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology, dives on a reef in Kaneohe Bay during a survey on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Fish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesFish swim near a head of coral in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
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Darwin in a lab: Coral evolution tweaked for global warmingCaleb Jones
Test tubes are set up to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Caleb JonesTest tubes are set up to collect spawning coral eggs in a lab at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Scientists are trying to speed up coral's evolutionary clock to build reefs that can better withstand the impacts of global warming. For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been conducting experiments to prove their Darwinian theories work. They say they do, and now they're getting ready to plant selectively bred and other lab-evolved corals back into the ocean to see if they can survive in Nature. If successful, the scientists say the more heat tolerant corals could help save vital reefs that are dying from climate change. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
