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from the moving-to-a-new-neighborhood dept.
Coral larvae can be transplanted from a lab and into a damaged coral reef:
Coral bred in one part of the Great Barrier Reef was successfully transplanted into another area, Australian scientists said Sunday, in a project they hope could restore damaged ecosystems around the world.
In a trial at the reef's Heron Island off Australia's east coast, the researchers collected large amounts of coral spawn and eggs late last year, grew them into larvae and then transplanted them into areas of damaged reef.
When they returned eight months later, they found juvenile coral that had survived and grown, aided by underwater mesh tanks.
"The success of this new research not only applies to the Great Barrier Reef but has potential global significance," lead researcher Peter Harrison of Southern Cross University said.
"It shows we can start to restore and repair damaged coral populations where the natural supply of coral larvae has been compromised."
Harrison said his mass larval-restoration approach contrasts with the current "coral gardening" method of breaking up healthy coral and sticking healthy branches on reefs in the hope they will regrow, or growing coral in nurseries before transplantation.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday November 28 2017, @09:09PM (1 child)
You're missing the point.
By merely getting this article published, it seems like there is now hope to be able to rebuild damaged or destroyed coral reefs. Whether it could work is irrelevant.
The real point is that now, it is okay again to continue polluting the ocean, raising its temperature and acidity. Not only to continue doing so, but to do even more of it faster. Because, it's all alright now. Sort of like cutting down forests and re-planting them. Or cleaning up after strip mining all the resources out of an area.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @10:29PM
The planet and the biosphere have succesfully weathered much worse events. Geological history is set in stone, a bit hard to rewrite. ;)
You can argue relative inconvenience of reducing the impact now vs handling the consequences later, but leave off the imagined doom. It ain't selling. :)