Maui coral reef research reveals impact of 250 years of human activity

Research led by the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa has revealed how human activities and land-use changes have impacted coral reefs near Maui over the last 250 years. By analyzing a 253-year-old coral core from Olowalu Reef, scientists reconstructed environmental conditions from 1760 to 2013, documenting shifts caused by Western contact, plantation agriculture, and modern coastal development.

The study found that chemical indicators related to sediment and nutrients increased over time, particularly during the twentieth century. Furthermore, researchers discovered that 25 different contaminants from agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical sources have accumulated in the soft tissues of corals.

These anthropogenic disturbances have decreased energy and nutrient availability within coral tissues, reducing their resilience to environmental stressors like ocean acidification and rising temperatures. The research suggests that monitoring coral metabolomes can serve as a vital tool for tracking the hidden impacts of human activity on marine ecosystems.