Corals exposed to water that is too warm often lose the symbiotic algae that live in their tissues and provide them with nutrition. The phenomenon, known as bleaching, is a major cause of coral mortality, said WHOI coral scientist Anne Cohen. WHOI climate scientist Kristopher Karnauskas and Cohen studied how global warming may affect reefs in the equatorial Pacific, using a fine-scale model to predict future water conditions around the Gilbert Islands. (Photo by Jessie Kneeland, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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