Silent killer: black reefs in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area

Black reefs in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, characterized by degraded coral ecosystems, show no signs of recovery despite being observed over a 12-year period from 2003 to 2015. The study links this degradation to the introduction of iron from shipwrecks, which promotes the proliferation of turf algae and cyanobacterial mats in an otherwise iron-poor equatorial Pacific environment. Researchers analyzed these black reefs to understand their formation and persistence, revealing a silent ecological threat that undermines conservation efforts in protected areas.

Mangubhai, S., & Obura, D. O. (2018). Silent killer: black reefs in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. Pacific Conservation Biology, 25(2), 213–214. https://doi.org/10.1071/pc18048