New #ScienceAdvances research finds that heat stress can disrupt and eventually destroy corals’ cilia-based ventilation systems. https://scim.ag/4unQvN9
Our findings reveal a hidden tipping point in coral survival: corals may begin to suffocate internally before or alongside bleaching.
These process occur in a water layer <1mm tick, easy to miss in conventional measurements but potentially critical for understanding coral health.
But the benefit doesn’t last. As temperatures rise further, these flows begin recirculating oxygen poor water near the coral surface, while coral oxygen demand keeps increasing.