Polluted water drains energy Hawaii corals need to survive warming seas

Human activity is changing coral reefs in ways that go far beyond what we can see on the surface. A new study led by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa shows that the chemicals we release into the environment are actually becoming part of coral tissue itself, and weakening corals’ ability to cope with heat and acidifying oceans.The team found 25 different contaminants from agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical sources embedded in the soft tissues of corals around Maui, Hawaiʻi. At the same time, in areas more heavily impacted by human activity, corals had lower energy and nutrient reserves, making them significantly less resilient to environmental stress.Looking inside coral tissues: the metabolomeEvery coral holds a complex mix of small molecules inside its tissues: things like nutrients, energy compounds, stress chemicals and contaminants.