Scientists find 'super coral' in Hawaii

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New studies show coral reefs located in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii are capable of growing in acidic and warm waters.

Human activity has contributed to the destruction of coral reefs via overfishing, pollution and coral bleaching. From 1930 to 1970, reefs located in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii were subject to dredging, coastal development and sewage dumping. All of this destroyed 95 percent of reefs.

In 1978, sewage outposts were removed from the area.Two decades later, the reef surface had recovered to between 50 and 95 percent.

According to a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the reefs were able to thrive despite the acidification of the water.

The team gathered branches of three main coral species from about 10 to 12 colonies in Waimanalo and Kane'ohe Bay. They exposed them to warm or acidic water in a controlled environment for five weeks.

The results showed that corals extracted from Kane'ohe Bay had a higher tolerance to warm and acidic water which allowed them to blossom more than twice as fast as the corals from Waimanalo Bay.

Christopher Jury, the lead scientist from the study, believes that because the reefs in Kane'ohe Bay have the properties to flourish in polluted environments they make the area, quote, "incredibly valuable as a possible window into the future."

RUNDOWN SHOWS:
1. Human activity polluting coral; Percentage of coral lost
2. Sewage outposts removed; Coral reefs recover
3. Scientists study three branches from different reef colonies
4. Kane'ohe reefs withstand acidic and warm waters better than other reefs

VOICEOVER (in English):
"Human activity has contributed to the destruction of coral reefs via overfishing, pollution and coral bleaching."

"From 1930 to 1970, reefs located in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii were subject to dredging, coastal development and sewage dumping. All of this destroyed 95 percent of reefs."

"In 1978, sewage outposts were removed from the area. 20 years later the reef surface had recovered to between 50 and 95 percent."

"According to a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the reefs were able to thrive despite the acidification of the water."

"The team gathered branches of three main coral species from about 10 to 12 colonies in Waimanalo and Kane'ohe Bay. They exposed them to warm or acidic water in a controlled environment for five weeks."

"The results showed that corals extracted from Kane'ohe Bay had a higher tolerance to warm and acidic water which allowed them to blossom more than twice as fast as the corals from Waimanalo Bay."

SOURCES:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Discover
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