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Environment

The U.S. Virgin Islands Becomes the First American Jurisdiction to Ban Common Chemical Sunscreens

The new law, passed unanimously in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ legislature on June 25th, targets three UV-blocking chemicals found in most mainstream commercial sunscreen products.

Heather Gies

A reef scene off of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Bans Potentially Dangerous Sunscreen Chemicals

The science community is still debating these ingredients' effects on the environment.

Kelley Czajka

A school of fish pass over a coral reef at Hanauma Bay on January 15th, 2005, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Environment

How Bleached Coral Reefs Permanently Change Local Fish Communities

A new study found that bleached reefs had fewer predators such as snappers and groupers and more plant-eating fish such as parrotfish and rabbitfish.

John C. Cannon

Environment

Is Your Sunscreen Harming Coral Reefs?

A single study was the main catalyst for recent sunscreen ingredient bans, yet the science community is still debating those ingredients' effects on coral reefs—and even on sunscreen users.

Kelley Czajka

Mesophotic reefs have a variety of soft corals and sponges.

Environment

Are Deep Sea Reefs Really a Lifeboat for Our Vanishing Corals?

A new study has cast doubt on the extent to which mesophotic reefs may be a refuge for shallower species hit by overfishing, warming waters, and extreme weather.

Emily Clark

A damaged section of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's northeastern coast.

Environment

Coral Reefs Are Increasingly Threatened by the One-Two Punch of Cyclones and Bleaching

But scientists are having a hard time illustrating these problems as shifting baselines continue to redefine what is considered normal for reef health.

Todd Woody

An aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef.

Environment

Measuring the Continued Destruction of Coral in the Great Barrier Reef

Australian scientists now report that coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has fallen sharply in all three sections of the reef for the first time in 35 years of continuous monitoring.

Todd Woody

Environment

The Knock-On Effects of Rats on Island Ecosystems

New research finds that the biomass of the entire fish community was nearly 50 percent larger around the rat-free islands.

John C. Cannon

The small island of Koh, surrounded by coral reef in Raja Ampat, located in eastern Indonesia's Papua region.

Environment

Coral Reef Loss Could Cost Countries Billions

According to a recent study, losing just the top three feet of coral reef could result in $4 billion a year in flood-related damages.

Matthew O. Berger

Environment

This Satellite-Based Monitoring System Could Be a Game-Changer for Coral Reef Conservation

An innovative monitoring system would allow researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists to track reef damaging events across the globe in near-real time.

Rhett A. Butler