Corals Dying Worldwide Are Surviving In UAE Waters Scientists Work On Heat-Stress Survey

2026-02-21 02:20:34

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The findings feed into the target of restoring 4 million corals by 2030, ensuring that rebuilt reefs are seeded with corals capable of surviving the next heatwave, not just the last one

PUBLISHED: Sat 21 Feb 2026, 4:54 PM

By:
Ahmed Waqqas Alawlaqi

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Coral bleaching is often described as corals turning white. What it actually means is that a coral is starving to death.

When ocean temperatures rise beyond a threshold, corals expel the microscopic algae living inside their tissues, the same algae that provide up to 90 per cent of their energy. Without them, the coral turns bone white and begins to die.

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Since January 2023, this process has affected 84 per cent of the world's coral reef ecosystems in the most extensive bleaching event ever recorded, hitting at least 82 countries. Scientists have had to create three entirely new levels on the global bleaching alert scale just to measure the severity of what is happening.

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For UAE residents, coral reefs aren't a distant environmental matter. Coral reefs directly protect coastlines from erosion and storm surge, support the fish populations that stock local markets, and underpin the marine tourism economy that draws millions of visitors to the Emirates annually. When reefs die, the consequences move from ocean to shore faster than most people expect.

Which is why what's happening in UAE waters matters beyond the region.

The Arabian Gulf is already among the hottest marine environments on the planet, with summer sea surface temperatures regularly exceeding 35 degrees Celsius with conditions that would destroy reefs almost anywhere else. Yet UAE corals survive. That anomaly has drawn scientists to the Emirates for years, and a new nationwide study is now attempting to understand exactly which corals carry that resistance and how to use them.

A team from NYU Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Arabian Centre for Climate and Environmental Sciences, working with environmental authorities from Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, has completed the UAE's first coordinated coral heat-stress survey.

Using a portable device called CBASS - the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System - researchers conducted 18-hour field tests on hundreds of coral colonies across both coasts, gradually raising water temperatures and measuring how each colony responds under pressure. The process identifies which corals function under extreme heat and which ones don't, directly on the reef without removing specimens.

"The UAE is home to corals that already survive in the world's warmest seas, but climate change is pushing even these hardy species to their limits," said Professor John Burt, Co-Director of Mubadala ACCESS. "With CBASS, we can pinpoint the most heat-tolerant individuals and use them to seed new coral nurseries and restoration projects across the Emirates."

The results revealed significant differences in thermal tolerance between UAE reef systems, giving scientists a science-based map for targeted restoration. Those findings now feed into the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi's target of restoring four million corals by 2030, ensuring that rebuilt reefs are seeded with corals capable of surviving the next heatwave, not just the last one.

"By rebuilding reefs with heat-tolerant corals, the initiative not only restores structure and biodiversity but also strengthens the long-term resilience of Abu Dhabi's coral ecosystems," said Maitha Mohamed Al Hameli, Director of Marine Biodiversity at EAD.

Next steps include genetics research and the establishment of coral nurseries planned for the coming year, with CBASS remaining the primary screening tool before any coral is relocated to restoration sites.

The world's most heat-resistant corals may already be living in UAE waters. Scientists are now building the tools to put them to work.