Managing Climate Threats

Climate threats are associated with the effects of global climate change on coral reefs. The accumulation of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases has increased atmospheric and sea-surface temperatures leading to widespread and frequent coral bleaching episodes, the acidification of oceans and the intensification of tropical storms.

Managing these threats requires global concerted action on climate change, however local management can have an important role to play in mitigating the severity of the threats and in assisting the potential for reef recovery. This section describes strategies to manage:

• Coral bleaching events
• Ocean acidification
• Tropical storms

NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program uses satellite information and in-situ tools to show where sea surface temperatures are rising. Source: NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program

Refer to the Coral Reef Resilience Online Course Lesson 6: Management Strategies for Resilience for more details on reef management strategies.