According to scientists in Japan, a coral’s color can tell of its resilience to climate change. The yellow-green color morph of a given species of coral was found to resist higher temperatures more effectively than the brown color morph.
If you’ve dived in the Pacific Ocean or the Red Sea in recent years, you may have been struck by the amount of white coral reefs. These underwater structures are under threat from climate change and marine pollution. This can cause coral to turn a ghostly white color — a phenomenon called bleaching — and ultimately die.
Coral reefs provide shelter and protection for hundreds of species of fish and crustaceans. One species of coral that is p…
Keep on reading: A coral’s color may tell of its resilience to climate change—study