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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Coral Reefs In South Pacific Get Much-Needed Protection

Spectacular table corals that take decades to form are found throughout the shallow water coral reefs of the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati. (AP/New England Aquarium)

The world’s largest marine World Heritage Site is located in the nation of islands known as Kiribati, which is pronounced ‘kirabas’.

Researcher Randi Rotjan of the New England Aquarium explains what this means for the coral surrounding the islands, the fishermen who live there, and the environment.

Other stories from Wednesday's show

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • Jon Allen

    The coral reef die-off is at an advanced level in 2011.
    In 1998, the Indian Ocean saw unprecidented bleaching.
    In 2002, the Pacific Ocean saw unprecidented bleaching.
    At this point, the main question in my mind is: will corals ever recover like they have from past ice ages? It is not at all clear that they will, since the organisms have working mechanisms for long term hibernation, but for hot spells, we don’t know.

  • Barbara Burgess

    Thank you Robin and Randi for a clear, concise and fascinating story about Kiribati and the oceans. Randi explanations were superb and she made complex scientific processes accessible. I so appreciate any coverage that WBUR provides in regards to the ocean. The oceans do not receive the media attention that they deserve so any story that highlights the challenges they face are very welcomed!

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