(PIRCA), this report - Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

118 Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts
In an effort to expand the range of management options, researchers in American
Sāmoa are testing technologies that could cool selected, important reefs and shade them
from strong sunlight. Seasonally high temperatures at a particular reef on the island
of Tutuila cause predictable coral bleaching (Fenner & Heron, 2008), creating an ideal
test site. Initial tests have shown that reducing peak water temperatures by about 1.0°C
(1.8°F) enables two sensitive species of coral to regain and retain their healthy color during
periods of thermal stress (Figure 4-13). In a second set of experiments, shading was
found to restore healthy color in bleached coral. In conjunction with strategies for reducing
land-based stress, these and other management tools may provide Pacific Island
communities with new, localized conservation measures to help combat the effects of
global climate change on their valuable coral reef resources.