Localised Pacific Ocean currents provided much-needed sustenance to Palmyra Island’s coral reefs in the Central Pacific, which from April 2015 to May 2016 experienced one of the strongest El Niño events ever recorded, said new research.
Researchers say that the phenomenon they identified could help Coral Reef Managers better plan and act for the future as marine heatwaves, a key impact of climate change, pose a particularly significant threat to corals that form the backbone of coral reefs.
El Niño, a cyclic climate pattern arising in the tropical Pacific, causes significant changes in winds, weather and ocean temperatures.
