A century of warming on Caribbean reefs

Abstract

Caribbean coral reefs have been warming for over a century, with regional warming starting in 1915 and accelerating since the 1980s. Using three ocean temperature databases, researchers found an average warming rate of 0.18°C per decade, with some regions reaching 0.26°C. If this trend continues, reefs could warm by ~1.5°C by 2100. Marine heatwaves have also increased, from 1 per year in the 1980s to 5 annually, lasting an average of 14 days. These thermal changes, combined with stressors like fishing and pollution, have dramatically altered reef ecosystems.