One-fifth of ecosystems in danger of collapse – here’s what that might look like

Humans have caused ecosystems to collapse on purpose for millennia, to grow food or build settlements. But unplanned collapses are a different matter.

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climate-change agriculture ecology rainforest coral-reefs ecosystems ecological-crisis ecosystem-collapse

Great Barrier Reef: Scientists find reef taller than Empire State Building

Standing 500m (1,640ft) tall, the "blade-like" reef was found off Australia's far north.

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australia coral-reefs great-barrier-reef

Darwin’s theory about atolls is ‘beautiful’ but wrong

Charles Darwin's theory about the formation of atolls is elegant, but doesn't reflect key information: sea level. Researchers now correct his work.

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charles-darwin maps coral-reefs oceans science-and-technology sea-levels

Mauritius oil spill: how coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass could be affected

Marine wildlife rarely remain in one habitat. Most species rely on a healthy network of ecosystems to raise their young and catch their food.

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coral-reefs tropical-fish mangroves oil-spill mauritius seagrass indian-ocean oil-pollution

Coral sex: how reproducing species in the lab could be key to restoring reefs in the wild

Sexual reproduction helps keep coral colonies diverse and resilient. Now, scientists are doing it in a lab to restock flagging reefs.

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coral-reefs caribbean marine-ecosystems corals sexual-reproduction reef-restoration threatened-habitats

MV Wakashio: Locals in Mauritius try to stop oil spill

MV Wakashio ran aground on coral reef on 25 July and is now leaking oil.

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environment coral-reefs oil mauritius

Ocean warming threatens coral reefs and soon could make it harder to restore them

Hundreds of organizations are working around the world to restore damaged coral reefs. New research shows that rapid ocean warming threatens these efforts.

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climate-change coral-bleaching coral-reefs significant-figures restoration-ecology ocean-warming remote-sensing reef-restoration

Sharks are disappearing from the world’s oceans

A new study of shark populations in 58 countries around the world detected none in almost 20% of the locations surveyed.

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conservation fish sharks fishing coral-reefs oceans endangered-species earth-and-environment

Coral reefs: climate change and pesticides could conspire to crash fish populations

Pesticides and high temperatures can disrupt the development of small coral reef fish by targeting their hormones.

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climate-change pesticides coral-reefs reef-fish

Coral reefs that glow bright neon during bleaching offer hope for recovery – new study

While most corals turn ghostly white when they bleach, some turn neon purple. Scientists were baffled – until now.

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climate-change coral coral-bleaching coral-reefs fluorescence marine-heatwaves microalgae