The fate of coral reefs, and the human communities which rely upon them, depend heavily on the capacity for reef-building corals to adapt or acclimatize to future climate change and ocean acidification. Photo credit: Hawaii Sea Grant
In 2015, Hawai’i Sea Grant researchers investigated whether eight Hawaiian coral species could adapt or acclimatize to higher water temperatures and more acidic water conditions under future climate change scenarios. The researchers successfully leveraged this Sea Grant research award to develop national and international collaborations and secure $1.2 million in additional funds from the U.S. National Science Foundation and NOAA Ocean Acidification Program.
