There's hope for corals as long as humans don't interfere

In this underwater photo taken in August, a diver swims over corals off Koh Tao island in the Gulf of Thailand. — AFP

Some corals can recover from bleaching even in long heatwaves as long as humans don’t interfere, scientists said recently, raising hopes for the endangered underwater ecosystems essential to much marine life.

Researchers tracked corals of the Kiritimati atoll in the Pacific Ocean through the longest tropical heatwave on record, expecting the reefs to suffer mass bleaching.