Hurricanes may be unlikely saviours of coral reefs - earth - 02 July 2007 - New Scientist Environment

Hurricanes may be unlikely saviours of coral reefs - earth - 02 July 2007 - New Scientist Environment

"Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may have been unlikely saviours for the coral reefs under their paths, say researchers. They have found evidence that the cooling effect hurricanes have on sea temperatures may help corals recover from the bleaching caused by warming oceans.

Coral reefs get their colour from tiny algae called zooxanthellae that live within them.

The corals and the algae live in symbiosis, but if the corals become stressed they can expel the algae – which results in coral bleaching. One source of stress to corals is high sea temperatures, which is why global warming is predicted to bring about widespread coral bleaching.

In the North Atlantic, warmer temperatures at the ocean surface also help hurricanes form. Now, Derek Manzello, at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and colleagues have shown that hurricanes cool temperatures and may assist coral recovery."