Science Story

08 January 2009 19:44 BST

Coral reefs damaged 'forever'

Global warming causing unusually high sea temperatures has irreversibly damaged isolated coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, a report published today has claimed.

Scientists from the University of Newcastle found that 90 per cent of over 50,000 square metres of coral surveyed in the Seychelles had been damaged by extremely high temperatures encountered in 1998 caused "bleaching" of the reefs.

Four types of fish, including a type of butterfly fish, two types of wrasses and a type of damsel fish are believed to have become locally extinct following changes in the coral reefs that support them.

"We have shown there has been very little recovery in the reef system of the inner Seychelles islands for seven years after the 1998 coral bleaching event," said Nick Graham, lead researcher at Newcastle University's school of marine science and technology.

"Reefs can sometimes recover after disturbances, but we have shown that after severe bleaching events, collapse in the physical structure of the reef results in profound impacts on other organisms in the ecosystem and greatly impedes the likelihood of recovery."

Mr Graham called for governments to acknowledge the evidence presented in his study and renew their commitment to lowering carbon emissions, the main cause of global warming.

"This research shows the importance of countries tackling greenhouse gas emissions and trying to reduce global warming and its effect on some of the world's finest and most diverse wildlife," he said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global temperatures could increase by between 1.4 and 5.8C before the end of the 21st century.