Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip
@lalvarezfilip.bsky.social
Coral reef ecologist barcolab.org
🌊 By forming solid structures near the shoreline, coral reefs can dissipate much of the wave energy before it reaches the coast. 🏖️ In this article we wrote for @us.theconversation.com we explore why this function is so important and what is at risk under changing environmental conditions.
The Conversation U.S.@us.theconversation.com · 3mo agoCoral reefs can absorb up to 97% of wave energy and protect coastlines from billions in storm damage. But many of the Caribbean’s most important reefs are still unprotected — just as stronger hurricanes and coral bleaching threaten to wipe them out. theconversation.com/many-of-the-...
Coral reefs can absorb up to 97% of wave energy and protect coastlines from billions in storm damage. But many of the Caribbean’s most important reefs are still unprotected — just as stronger hurricanes and coral bleaching threaten to wipe them out. theconversation.com/many-of-the-...
Many of the Caribbean’s most important reefs are going unprotected
Healthy coral reefs can significantly reduce hurricane damage for coastlines, yet many still face harms, including pollution and ship damage, that people have the power to stop.
theconversation.com
In this manuscript, we identified the reefs that are most relevant for conservation, based on their functional characteristics and the future impacts of global change.
Conservation Biology@conbiology.bsky.social · 3mo agoClimate refugia for core reef functions need protection under future #climatechange scenarios. 🪸 In this article, Melo-Merino et al evaluate the protection status and exposure to warming of #Caribbean reefs with high functional potential.🪸 Learn more at doi.org/10.1111/cobi... #conservation
In this story, we show that a threshold that earlier models suggested might be crossed over the next decade has already been reached... Over 70% Caribbean reefs are now losing calcium carbonate faster than corals can add it. Full paper at @currentbiology.bsky.social.... bit.ly/4etrTxt
The Conversation UK@uk.theconversation.com · 3mo agoCoral reefs underpin tourism and small fisheries, but are under threat from rising ocean temperatures.
In this new study published at @currentbiology.bsky.social , we show that, after the 2023–24 heatwave and SCTLD >75% of Caribbean reefs are now eroding faster than corals can rebuild them. authors.elsevier.com/a/1n2gh3QW8S...
🚨 Paper Alert! In 2023, Mexican coral reefs experienced an unprecedented bleaching event. But bleaching wasn’t the biggest issue. Our study in Proceedings B @royalsociety.org shows a marine heatwave caused massive coral mortality and pushed reefs from production to net erosion #Reefs A thread 🧵
👶🪸 Can Caribbean corals recover naturally after the devastating effects of SCTLD? - Our new study in @commsearth.nature.com reveals that corals in their early life stages—either survived the outbreak or recruited afterwards—offering a positive sign of resilience at regional scales rdcu.be/eUJBc
Online now: Keystone coral species population collapse after unprecedented heat stress
Keystone coral species population collapse after unprecedented heat stress
Climate change threatens coral reefs globally. Birkart and Alvarez-Filip document local extirpation of a keystone coral species in Mexico following unprecedented heat stress, suggesting similar outcomes for ∼70% of the Greater Caribbean’s shallow-water reefs. This highlights the need to upscale surveys using emerging technologies to locate, protect, and propagate surviving corals.
dlvr.it
The 2023 marine heatwave was devastating for Caribbean reefs; in this study, we report full mortality of over 5,000 Acropora palmata colonies across a reef scale. What is worrisome is that nearly 70% of reef crests across the Caribbean faced equal or higher levels of stress doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
A beautifully written story about parrotfishes and coral reefs by @lisasgardiner.bsky.social
Lisa S Gardiner@lisasgardiner.bsky.social · 10mo agoWhen reporting and writing this story, I learned so much about why parrotfish are AMAZING. Thanks to @kt-cramer.bsky.social @lalvarezfilip.bsky.social @anysunreef.bsky.social and @ichnologist.bsky.social for their research and perspectives on these funny fishes!
Nature research paper: Reduced Atlantic reef growth past 2 °C warming amplifies sea-level impacts go.nature.com/3VjkuWL
Reduced Atlantic reef growth past 2 °C warming amplifies sea-level impacts - Nature
An analysis of coral reefs in the tropical western Atlantic suggests that nearly all will be eroding by 2100 if global warming exceeds 2 °C, which will worsen the effects of sea-level rise.
go.nature.com
Coral reefs will stop growing and many will start to erode if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study of 400 sites.
Caribbean coral reefs are running out of time to keep up with rising seas – new study
Coral reefs will stop growing and many will start to erode if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study of 400 sites.
tcnv.link
Over 70% of coral reefs in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean are projected to be in a state of erosion by 2040, increasing to nearly all reefs in 2100 if warming exceeds 2 °C above preindustrial levels, a study in Nature suggests. go.nature.com/48m9Y8F 🌊 🧪
Dispersal Ability Reduces Thermal Specialization and Prevents Climate‐Driven Extinctions in a Neotropical Rainforest buff.ly/nNuQFG7
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Published today in Science: “The pace of new interventions is outstripping the capacity to prevent unintended consequences - because governance systems are not yet in place.” Stop the cowboys before they do even more damage!
Governing novel climate interventions in rapidly changing oceans
Marine systems are rapidly changing in response to global heating. The scale and intensity of change are triggering a host of novel interventions to sustain oceans and ocean-dependent societies. Howev...
science.org
The global marine heatwaves of 2023 were unprecedented in their intensity, persistence, and scale, according to a new Science study. The findings provide insights into the region-specific drivers of these events, linking them to broader changes in the planet’s climate system. scim.ag/4lOzfwm
Heard of "Darwin's paradox"? It refers to Charles Darwin's observation that coral reefs are wildly productive despite occurring in nutrient-poor tropical oceans. Reefs are, so the story goes, oases in marine deserts 🏝️... Turns out that 2/3 of these assertions are very wrong... 🌐 🦑🧪 🧵⬇️
New research challenges the long-held belief that coral reefs are “oases” in marine deserts. While among the world’s most productive ecosystems, their existence in nutrient-deprived oceans is the exception rather than the rule. @gobyone.bsky.social @utmsi.bsky.social cns.utexas.edu/news/researc...
Idea of Coral Reefs as Oases in Marine Deserts May Be Mistaken
New research from Simon Brandl at The University of Texas at Austin challenges a long-held belief about coral reefs.
cns.utexas.edu
Coral restoration is a rapidly growing field; however, the scalability of interventions is often a limitation to reverse coral losses at meaningful scales. We address this issue by proposing a spatially explicit approximation to optimize the outplanting design at the reefscape scale bit.ly/4kiVxoH
Enhancing structural connectivity through coral restoration by adopting a landscape ecology perspective - Landscape Ecology
Context Restoration is an effective measure to counteract declines of reef-building coral populations. Despite decades of coral restoration research and practice, very little emphasis has been placed ...
bit.ly
BBC News - Attenborough at 99 delivers 'greatest message he's ever told' www.bbc.com/news/article...
Sir David Attenborough Ocean film 'greatest message he's told'
Sir David says his new film Ocean is one of the most important of his career.
bbc.com
1/6 Call for session proposals 16th International Coral Reef Symposium, 19–24th July 2026, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Session proposal deadline: Sunday 15th June 2025. Details and submission link at www.icrs2026.nz/call-for-ses...
Call for Session Proposals
icrs2026.nz
According to data from Coral Reef Watch, the worst global bleaching event on record has now hit more than 80% of the planet’s reefs, prompting scientists to warn that we are in “uncharted territory.” Read more from @readfearn.bsky.social in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🌍🧪
Tracing the worst coral bleaching event in recorded history – video
Two years into the worst coral bleaching event on record, more than 80% of the planet's reefs have been affected
theguardian.com
Science Feedback provides valuable context behind the headline. science.feedback.org/review/84-of... We need more contextualizing of clickbait stories. Often, as in this case, there is an important, albeit nuanced, story not easily summarized in a catchy headline. @sciencefeedback.bsky.social
84% of the world’s reefs recently experienced bleaching-level heat stress, but not all were ‘completely bleached' - Science Feedback
84% of Earth's reefs experienced bleaching-level heat stress, but not all were completely bleached. Mass bleaching was reported in 82 different countries and territories, but it will be years until sc...
science.feedback.org
More than 80% of the world’s reefs hit by bleaching after worst global event on record #Climate
More than 80% of the world’s reefs hit by bleaching after worst global event on record
An ashen pallor and an eerie stillness all that remains where there should fluttering fish and vibrant colours in the reefscape, one conservationist says
theguardian.com
“Major barriers include the small scale of restoration programs, high costs per hectare, and the …. vulnerability (of corals) to future heat stresses. phys.org/news/2025-04...
Coral restoration projects failing: One-third ineffective and unlikely to scale, study finds
As coral bleaching and deaths become more widespread globally, experts are re-evaluating the benefits of restoration missions to reverse damage and protect some of the world's most species-rich ecosys...
phys.org
If we continue burning fossil fuels and warming the ocean, coral reefs will become a thing of the past.
More than 80% of the world’s reefs hit by bleaching after worst global event on record
An ashen pallor and an eerie stillness all that remains where there should fluttering fish and vibrant colours in the reefscape, one conservationist says
theguardian.com