Researchers propose a new technology-centered focus to study and conserve coral reefs
The scope and scale of threats facing coral reefs demand new ways of approaching the questions that need to be answered in order to ensure the future of reefs worldwide. That’s the conclusion of a paper released in print today by a multi-disciplinary scientists and engineers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
The paper, which appears in the current issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology is authored by members of WHOI’s Reef Solutions Initiative, lays out the group’s vision to address the growing coral reef crisis. The authors hold that advanced monitoring and diagnostics and a research strategy that uses case-study reefs to test and implement solutions before scaling up to reefs worldwide is needed in order to leverage recent technological innovations on time scales that will make a difference to the most at-risk reefs.