These underwater umbrellas can shade coral reefs to protect them from bleaching

Our oceans are incredibly hot, and that heat stress is a major threat to coral reefs. To truly protect corals, we need to address climate change as a whole. But in the meantime, scientists say they can give reefs a bit of relief simply by providing them with some shade. Researchers recently tested this concept in the Florida Keys with underwater “umbrellas” made out of shade cloths—the same textiles used on farms or in home gardens to protect plants from the harsh sun. Those umbrellas floated above individual corals. Though heat stress during the summer of the study was the second highest on record, the corals under the shade lost less color than expected, and in some cases, even recovered some of their color. That’s significant, because the loss of color results from the death of algae that live with corals. Providing shade doesn’t actually cool the water, says Karen Neely, a research scientist with Nova Southeastern University in Florida and lead author of the study on this experiment, published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. But it does minimize the light reaching those corals. The shade cloths reduced light by 60%. “While heat is the primary driver of coral …