We are now seriously considering taking into account the coral reefs of geoengineering to save them

Coral reefs are facing a crisis due to a growing number of threats ranging from climate change to pollution to ocean acidification. In an effort to limit the rising tide of damage, the National Academy of Sciences on Wednesday released a major report outlining the high-tech interventions that we may have to use to save coral.

None of the solutions are ready for prime time, but the fact that the first scientific research institution in the United States speaks of this is a testament to the urgency of the problem.

"We're losing the reefs so fast," said Mark Eakin, Coral Reef Watch Program Manager Gizmodo. "It is so important that we do everything in our power to keep coral reefs alive and healthy."

The report, which was commissioned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which itself oversees the monitoring of coral), presents two main routes for coral preservation. One level focuses on coral engineering. Research has been ongoing on this front for years as scientists sought to unlock the secrets of what are called super corals, able to survive in warm waters causing bleaching and death of others corals, or acidic seas dissolving reefs.

But the report also calls for more wild interventions, including the freezing of coral and sperm embryos for the purpose of preserving biodiversity and thawing them in a future climate, hopefully, colder. The report notes that scientists have managed to do this with 16 species of corals, but that the freezing process may damage their delicate cells.

The other way to preserve coral is to protect the reefs in one way or another. This plunges into the fictional world of geoengineering, a science. Advanced and even small-scale ideas include pumping colder water from the depths of the ocean, creating artificial hues to cool the surface water itself, or changing the chemistry of the ocean. sea ​​water to make it less acidic. The latter includes natural solutions such as seagrbad planting, as well as more varied ideas such as the electrochemical fractionation of calcium carbonate to make the ocean more alkaline.

The report of the National Academies is one of the most comprehensive summaries of all the disparate methods that can contribute to the preservation of the reefs. A follow-up report will create resources for putting some of these ideas into practice in the real world to begin to reverse the spiral of coral death.

Coral reefs have declined by 30-50% in all corners of the ocean since 1980, when three episodes of coral bleaching were caused by warm seas. These events will become more common as the planet gets warmer, which means that taking these types of interventions into account is not just for fun.

It's literally the life and death of coral, as well as the millions of people who depend on the reefs to feed, protect themselves from storm surges, and make a living. But interventions are far from the only solutions needed to conserve the reefs.

"This is by no means meant to replace efforts to reduce the level of carbon dioxide and other heat – trapping gases in the atmosphere," Eakin said. "This is not meant to replace local actions to protect the reefs. This is what you do to repair and keep the reefs alive. It's much cheaper and easier to manage threats and reduce the risk of damage than rebuilding the ecosystem. "