Northern Red Sea coral reefs may survive a hot, grim future

In this Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 photo, a fragment of a coral is viewed with a microscope at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, IUI, in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel. As the outlook for coral reefs across our warming planet grows grimmer than ever, scientists have discovered a rare glimmer of hope: the corals of the northern Red Sea may survive, and even thrive, into the next century. The coral reefs at the northernmost tip of the Red Sea are exhibiting remarkable resistance to the rising water temperatures and acidification facing the region, according recent research conducted by IUI. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

In this Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 photo, Maoz Fine, coral reef expert at Bar-Ilan University in Israel comes out of the water after a research dive in the Red Sea city of Eilat, southern Israel. As the outlook for coral reefs across our warming planet grows grimmer than ever, scientists have discovered a rare glimmer of hope: the corals of the northern Red Sea may survive, and even thrive, into the next century. The coral reefs at the northernmost tip of the Red Sea are exhibiting remarkable resistance to the rising water temperatures and acidification facing the region, according recent research conducted by Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

EILAT, Israel – As the outlook for coral reefs across a warming planet grows grimmer, scientists in Israel have discovered a rare glimmer of hope: The corals of the northern Red Sea may survive, and even thrive, into the next century.

The carbon dioxide that humans pump into the atmosphere spikes the temperature and acidity of seawater, which both poisons the marine invertebrates and hampers their growth at alarming rates. Experts estimate that half of the corals that existed in the early 20th century have died.

But the corals at the northernmost tip of the Red Sea are exhibiting remarkable resistance to the rising water temperatures and acidification. Experts hope the lessons learned there can help coral reefs elsewhere in the world.