AI maps climate-resilient coral reefs covering third

Scientists have identified tens of thousands of square kilometers of coral reefs around the world that possess natural characteristics making them more likely to survive the escalating threats of climate change. The findings, presented this week at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, offer a more nuanced and cautiously optimistic perspective on the future of these vital ecosystems.

The research, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and involving scientists from Macquarie University, used artificial intelligence to analyze decades of field observations alongside climate, oceanographic, and human-impact data. It pinpointed reefs with conditions such as cool currents, reduced sunlight exposure, and locations outside cyclone paths that help corals resist or recover from heat stress. The study identified these climate-resilient reefs, or refugia, across 71 countries and numerous territories, representing roughly one-third of the world's reef systems.

This new assessment significantly expands on a landmark 2018 study known as the 50 Reefs initiative, finding three times as many potentially resilient areas. More than half of the identified refugia are concentrated in five...