24-Jan-2020: India begins coral restoration in Gulf of Kachchh

Zoological Survey of India's Coral Restoration Project:

• Restoration of coral reefs using biorock technology
• Location: Mithapur coast, Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat on January 19

Biorock technology:

Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source, in this case solar panels that float on the surface.

The technology works by passing a small amount of electrical current through electrodes in the water. When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the sea floor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode). This results in calcium carbonate formation. Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly.

Fragments of broken corals are tied to the biorock structure, where they are able to grow at least four to six times faster than their actual growth as they need not spend their energy in building their own calcium carbonate skeletons.

Location choice:

• High tidal amplitude in Gulf of Kachchh
• Low tide depth of 4 metres, high tide depth of 8 metres

India's major coral reefs areas:

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Lakshadweep
• Gulf of Mannar
• Gulf of Kachchh

Previous restoration success:

• Branching coral species (staghorn corals) restored in Gulf of Kachchh in 2015 by the same group of ZSI scientists with the support of the Gujarat forest department.
• Specimens for regenerating these corals were brought from the Gulf of Mannar with the help of Tamil Nadu’s Forest Department.
• Species (staghorn corals) belonging to the family Acroporidae (Acropora formosa, Acropora humilis, Montipora digitata) was extinct for about 10,000 years.

28-May-2019: Kappaphycus seaweed poses threat to coral reef

The invasive Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed, which smothers and kills coral reefs, has spread its wings to coral reef areas in Valai island in the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and set to invade new coral colonies in the marine national park.

After invading Shingle, Kurusadai and Mulli islands in Mandapam cluster of the GoM, the red algae invaded Valai island along Kilakarai coast following its cultivation in south Palk Bay. A 2005 Government Order had restricted cultivation of the exotic seaweed only to the seawaters north of the Palk Bay and South of Thoothukudi coast.

The Reef Research Team (RRT) of Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), Thoothukudi, after an elaborate underwater survey, observed that the destructive algae had invaded the reef areas of Valai Island and sounded an alarm bell in its report submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on February 21.

The institute undertook the four-year project, ‘Studies on the impact of the exotic seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii on corals, and the associated resources, and management measures in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park’, funded by the MoEF&CC.

The research team counted 32 coral colonies of Acropora nobilis affected by Kappaphycus algae and the area of impact was 15-20 square metres. The algae was firmly attached to the coral colonies and started forming mat over them, adding it would eventually smother and kill corals.

It is most likely that Kappaphycus alvarezii would spread to new live coral colonies and cause significant coral mortality in Valai Island. Detached mats of the algae were also seen along the shores of the island and nearby Thalaiyari island.

The Forest department would take up the issue with agencies, which promoted cultivation of the seaweed. The department had been carrying out manual removal of the seaweed every year since 2014 to protect coral reefs.

Macrofaunal and fish density decreased when Kappaphycus cover increased.

28-Nov-2018: Biggest coral reseeding project launches on Great Barrier Reef

Scientists have launched the largest-ever attempt to regenerate coral on the endangered Great Barrier Reef by harvesting millions of the creatures' eggs and sperm during their annual spawning.

The researchers plan to grow coral larvae from the harvested eggs and return these to the areas of the reef which have been badly damaged by climate-related coral bleaching. This is the first time that the entire process of large scale larval rearing and settlement will be undertaken directly on reefs on the Great Barrier Reef.

The "Larval Restoration Project" launch was timed to coincide with the annual coral spawn on the reef, which began earlier this week and will last only about 48 to 72 hours.

Coral along large swathes of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) reef have been killed by rising sea temperatures linked to climate change, leaving behind skeletal remains in a process known as coral bleaching.

The northern reaches of the reef suffered an unprecedented two successive years of severe bleaching in 2016 and 2017, raising fears it may have suffered irreparable damage.

The scientists hope that coral which have survived bleaching have a greater tolerance to rising temperatures so that a breeding population produced from this year's spawn will grow into coral better able to survive future bleaching events.

The researchers said, a novelty of their reseeding project was to grow coral larvae together with microscopic algae. The two live in symbiosis on the reef.

2-Nov-2018: Palau is the first nation to ban 'Reef-toxic' Sunscreens

The Pacific archipelago of Palau has become the first nation to ban sunscreens that some researchers believe are killing off coral reefs and damaging marine environments.

In a law passed this week, Palau defines the banned "reef-toxic" sunscreens as containing any one of 10 chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are found in the majority of sunscreens sold in the U.S., according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

The nation of over 500 islands and around 21,000 people in the Micronesia region of the western Pacific Ocean has in the past taken steps to protect its biodiversity, which greatly contributes to tourism — its main economic driver.

Retailers who break the ban will face fines of $1,000.

A 2017 report from the Coral Reef Research Foundation found widespread sunscreen toxins in Jellyfish Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site and highly popular tourist attraction. The report recommended that visitors immediately switch to "more biologically friendly" sunscreen products.

Palau will immediately stop importing reef-toxic sunscreen, but that retailers have until 2020, when the law actually goes into effect, to sell their remaining inventory.

According to a 2015 study by researchers at the University of Central Florida, oxybenzone poses a hazard to coral reef conservation by sapping coral of nutrients and bleaching it white.

Any small effort to reduce oxybenzone pollution could mean that a coral reef survives a long, hot summer, or that a degraded area recovers.

With the rise in skin cancer rates and the availability of more effective sunscreen actives such as micronized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, serious doubts about the relative prevention benefit of personal care products containing oxybenzone must be raised.

Hawaii passed legislation similar to Palau's earlier this year that goes into effect in 2021.

17-Aug-2018: World's largest 3D-printed reef installed in Maldives to help save Corals

Developed using computer modeling and a 3D printer at a lab in Melbourne, Australia, the artificial reef was designed to resemble reef structures typically found in the Maldives.

Printing the 3D molds took 24 hours. They were then cast in ceramic, an inert material similar to the calcium carbonate found in coral reefs. The molds were then shipped to the Maldives, filled with concrete, assembled on-site at Summer Island and then submerged seven meters below the surface. Live corals are then transplanted within the artificial reef, where it's hoped that within two to three years, it will grow and colonize the structure.

With global warming, bleaching and environmental pollution, it's hoped that 3D printing technology can offer a new way of saving the corals. The technology allows to mimic the complexity of natural reef structures, so we can design artificial reefs that closely resemble those found in nature. This will be a more effective way of growing and restoring corals.