Remote reef communities in the central inshore Kimberley survived the 2016 global bleaching event, giving hope to Western Australian marine scientists looking to find ways to combat the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n
A recent publication confirms the breakthrough discovery by a team of Western Australian Museum scientists. The researchers examined the composition and health of marine\u00a0organisms at 13 coral reef sites in the Bonaparte Archipelago \u2013 a largely inaccessible area of the inshore central Kimberley.<\/p>\n
Lead author, Dr Zoe Richards, WA Museum Research Associate, Â鶹ֱ²¥ Senior Research Fellow, and co-author Dr Nerida Wilson, WA Museum Senior Research Scientist, co-led the expedition and described the region as a \u2018tropical refuge\u2019 for sensitive taxa such as Acropora <\/em>(stony) corals.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only did these communities survive the severe 2016 global coral bleaching, but they also remained healthy, which, for the time being, makes us look at the region as a potential tropical refuge,\u201d Dr Richards said.<\/p>\n Dr Richards said there are only a small number of identified \u2018climate\u00a0refuges\u2019 across the globe, and stressed the importance of learning from these healthy communities as soon as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is vital that we learn as much as possible from these communities to help better understand why these corals are surviving when corals in other parts of the world\u00a0are not,\u201d Dr Richards said.<\/p>\n Dr Wilson said, \u201cIt is heartening to see that different organisms are co-existing and surviving in these communities, including hard and soft corals, sponges, and clams.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis finding is very exciting and hopeful. However, the location\u2019s ability to persist as an ecological\u00a0refuge under future climate scenarios is not known,\u201d Dr Wilson said.<\/p>\n One important step toward identifying these survival patterns has been the research undertaken to understand the extent of ocean warming\u00a0at the Bonaparte Archipelago.<\/p>\n Â鶹ֱ²¥ Adjunct Researcher Dr Rodrigo Garcia examined sea surface temperature data from different satellite sensors positioned at three locations in the North West of Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bonaparte Archipelago experienced a thermal stress event of similar\u00a0magnitude to the Southern Kimberley and Scott Reef but, unlike those regions, it did not experience the same ecological damage,\u201d Dr Garcia said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe research shows that the Bonaparte region experienced a greater extent of\u00a0night-time cooling, which may have mediated the damage caused by the elevated day-time temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n While the variability between the regions lends hope some pockets of coral reefs can survive the current level of climate threats, the scientists stress a level of caution, as thermal stress events are predicted to increase in intensity and frequency in the future.<\/p>\n Research facilitation was made possible by the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation and Wunambal Gambia\u2019s Ungum Rangers\u00a0who participated in fieldwork.<\/p>\n