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Calentamiento global y blanqueamiento masivo recurrente de los corales

Terry P Hughes¹, James T Kerry¹, Mariana Álvarez-Noriega^1,2

¹Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.

|March 17, 2017

Resumen

El calor récord del océano causó un blanqueamiento generalizado de los corales en 2015-2016. La protección local de los arrecifes y el blanqueamiento pasado no redujeron la gravedad de este evento, enfatizando la necesidad de tomar medidas contra el calentamiento global.

Área de la Ciencia:

Biología marina
Ciencias del clima
Ecología

Sus antecedentes:

Los eventos de blanqueamiento masivo de corales han ocurrido a nivel mundial desde la década de 1980.
El período 2015-2016 vio temperaturas récord, lo que desencadenó un episodio de blanqueamiento de coral pantropical.
Comprender la variabilidad en la severidad del blanqueo es crucial para la conservación de los arrecifes de coral.

Objetivo del estudio:

Investigar los factores que influyen en la gravedad de los eventos recurrentes de blanqueo de los corales.
Para analizar los patrones espaciales de blanqueo en relación con las temperaturas de la superficie del mar.
Evaluar el papel de la gestión local y la exposición previa al blanqueo en la resiliencia del arrecife.

Principales métodos:

Utilizó estudios aéreos y submarinos de los arrecifes australianos.
Datos integrados de la temperatura de la superficie del mar obtenidos por satélite.
Comparación de la severidad del blanqueo en múltiples escalas y períodos de tiempo (1998, 2002, 2016).

Principales resultados:

Los patrones geográficos del blanqueamiento de la Gran Barrera de Coral en 1998, 2002 y 2016 se correlacionaron con los patrones de temperatura espacial del mar.
La calidad del agua y la presión pesquera tuvieron un impacto insignificante en la gravedad del blanqueo en 2016.
La exposición previa al blanqueo no confirió resistencia al evento de 2016.

Conclusiones:

Las medidas locales de protección de los arrecifes ofrecen una resistencia mínima a los eventos de calor extremo.
El calentamiento global es el principal impulsor del blanqueamiento severo de los corales.
La acción global urgente para reducir el calentamiento futuro es imperativa para la supervivencia de los arrecifes de coral.

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