Coral reefs benefit from reduced land-sea impacts under ocean warming

Coral reef ecosystems are being fundamentally restructured by local human impacts and climate-driven marine heatwaves. Reducing local impacts can increase reef resistance to and recovery from bleaching. This study combines surveys of reef change with a 20-year time series of land-sea human impacts in Hawai'i, encompassing an unprecedented marine heatwave. Reefs with increased herbivorous fish populations and reduced land-based impacts (wastewater pollution, urban runoff) showed positive coral cover trajectories pre-disturbance and less coral mortality post-heat stress. Scenario modeling indicated that simultaneously reducing land-sea human impacts significantly increases the probability of high reef-builder cover post-disturbance. Integrated land-sea management is crucial for achieving coastal ocean conservation goals and supporting coral reef persistence under climate change.

Jamison M. Gove, Gareth J. Williams, Joey Lecky, Eric Brown, Eric Conklin, Chelsie Counsell, Gerald Davis, Mary K. Donovan, Kim Falinski, Lindsey Kramer, Kelly Koza, Ning Li, Jeffrey A. Maynard, Amanda McCutcheon, Sheila A. McKenna, Brian J. Neilson, Aryan Safaie, Christopher Teague, Robert Whittier, Gregory P. Asner