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Updated: Jul 13, 2025
04:22
Physiological Characterization of the Coral Holobiont Using a New Micro-Respirometry Tool
Published on: April 28, 2023
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Mesophotic coral bleaching associated with changes in thermocline depth
Clara Diaz1, Nicola L Foster2, Martin J Attrill3
1School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK. clara.diaz@plymouth.ac.uk.
Nature Communications
|October 16, 2023
Summary
Mesophotic coral ecosystems, deeper than shallow reefs, are vulnerable to warming oceans. Oceanographic changes, not just shallow water temperatures, can cause deep coral bleaching.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Oceanography
- Ecology
Background:
- Rising global temperatures cause widespread shallow coral bleaching.
- Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) at 30-150m were considered potential refuges.
- MCEs have limited connectivity to shallow reefs and host unique endemic communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the susceptibility of MCEs to thermal stress.
- To understand the drivers of coral bleaching in deeper ocean environments.
- To investigate the role of oceanographic phenomena in MCE health.
Main Methods:
- Multidisciplinary study in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean.
- Investigated coral bleaching at depths of 90m.
- Analyzed oceanographic data, including thermocline depth and the Indian Ocean Dipole.
Main Results:
- Evidence of coral bleaching at 90m depth, without shallow-water bleaching.
- Bleaching linked to sustained thermocline deepening.
- Indian Ocean Dipole and internal waves influenced bleaching heterogeneity at a sub-atoll scale.
Conclusions:
- Mesophotic coral ecosystems are vulnerable to thermal stress from warming oceans.
- Oceanographic factors, like thermocline changes, are critical drivers of MCE bleaching.
- Predicting MCE bleaching requires understanding complex oceanographic processes and their spatial variability.
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