Coral Reefs Are Unrivaled in Ecoservices
Restorative Efforts Are Working but Should Not Be Seen as a Cure-All Solution
Why be concerned about coral reefs dying, since they occupy less than one percent of the ocean? It is because they are key nurseries for the ocean, functioning as home to one-third of all marine species. These colorful wonders are like the proverbial “canary in the coal mine,” harbingers of numerous survival threats to the ocean — acidification, pollution, overfishing, dredging, and temperature spikes.
Because of their outsized importance, scientists are developing ways to restore and rebuild coral reefs. One approach is to grow replacement corals in laboratories or in managed underwater nurseries until they are large and healthy enough to transplant onto ailing or dead corals. These efforts have achieved success but are costly, labor-intensive, and not sufficiently scalable to what is needed.
Another approach uses a low-tech, high-impact device called the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array, or UZELA. Developed at Ohio State University, this small, submersible, programmable light system is designed to attract zooplankton — the abundant, tiny organisms that make up a critical part of the coral diet. This device is programmed to emit light for about an hour each night, concentrating zooplankton up to seven times their normal levels. Denser food accumulation means better-fed, healthier coral, which improves resistance to environmental stress.
