Climate engineering may better protect coral reefs

London: When it comes to protecting coral reefs from rising sea water temperature, climate engineering could be a better method than conventional carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation strategies. Geo-engineering of the climate may be the only way to save coral reefs from mass bleaching which increases coral mortality risk, the researchers noted.

Coral reefs are considered one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to future climate change due to rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification, which is caused by higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). The geo-engineering technique called Solar Radiation Management (SRM) reduces the risk of global severe coral bleaching, the researchers noted.

The SRM method involves injecting gas into the stratosphere, forming microscopic particles which reflect some of the sun's energy and so help limit rising sea surface temperatures. The study compared a hypothetical SRM geo-engineering scenario to the most aggressive future CO2 reduction strategy considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and found that coral reefs fared much better under geo-engineering despite increasing ocean acidification.