Mass coral mortality under local amplification of 2 °C ocean warming

• DOI: 10.1038/srep44586
• Publication Date: 2017-03-23T14:16:14Z
• Authors: Thomas M. DeCarlo; Anne L. Cohen; George T. F. Wong; Kristen A. Davis; Pat Lohmann; Keryea Soong
• Keywords: Atoll; Coral bleaching; Ocean Acidification

Abstract A 2 °C increase in global temperature above pre-industrial levels is considered a reasonable target for avoiding the most devastating impacts of anthropogenic climate change. In June 2015, sea surface (SST) South China Sea (SCS) increased by response to developing Pacific El Niño. On its own, this moderate, short-lived warming was unlikely cause widespread damage coral reefs region, and reef “Bleaching Alert” alarm not raised. However, on Dongsha Atoll, northern SCS, unusually weak winds created low-flow conditions that amplified basin-scale anomaly. Water temperatures flat, normally indistinguishable from open-ocean SST, exceeded 6 normal summertime levels. Mass bleaching quickly ensued, killing 40% resident community an event unprecedented at least past 40 years. Our findings highlight risks ocean ecosystems when local processes align drive intense heating, with consequences.