As global warming threatens corals, scientists search for reefs that can take the heat Skip to content Ars Technica home Sections Forum Subscribe Search AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Feature Reviews AI Biz & IT Cars Culture Gaming Health Policy Science Security Space Tech Forum Subscribe Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Pin to story Theme HyperLight Day & Night Dark System Search Sign In Sign in dialog... Sign in urgent mission As global warming threatens corals, scientists search for reefs that can take the heat Researchers say these coral strongholds may help repopulate more degraded reefs. Teresa Tomassoni, Inside Climate News – Jun 19, 2026 7:15 am | 3 Swimmers, snorkelers and beach goers enjoy a swim at the Coral Beach Nature Reserve on July 16, 2022, in Eilat, Israel. Credit: Lukasz Larsson Warzecha/Getty Images Swimmers, snorkelers and beach goers enjoy a swim at the Coral Beach Nature Reserve on July 16, 2022, in Eilat, Israel. Credit: Lukasz Larsson Warzecha/Getty Images Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav MAJURO, Marshall Islands—Perched on the bow of an aluminum landing craft, Anne Cohen gazed a few yards ahead of the vessel toward a yellow robot gliding across the emerald Majuro lagoon. The unmanned surface vehicle, called Yellowfin, was quickly becoming one of the coral researcher’s most dependable guides in these Central Pacific waters.
“She’s the best dive buddy,” said Cohen, a tenured scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Cape Cod. Programmed to navigate to a precise set of coordinates, the robot cut through small swells like a tiny sailboat without a mast, directing Cohen toward a destination she had traveled thousands of miles to revisit. When the robot finally paused, hovering in place, Cohen recognized it as her cue. Somewhere below should be a patch of reef she’d been observing over the last few years, and she was eager to see how it was faring.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/as-global-warming-threatens-corals-scientists-search-for-reefs-that-can-take-the-heat/
“She’s the best dive buddy,” said Cohen, a tenured scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Cape Cod. Programmed to navigate to a precise set of coordinates, the robot cut through small swells like a tiny sailboat without a mast, directing Cohen toward a destination she had traveled thousands of miles to revisit. When the robot finally paused, hovering in place, Cohen recognized it as her cue. Somewhere below should be a patch of reef she’d been observing over the last few years, and she was eager to see how it was faring.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/as-global-warming-threatens-corals-scientists-search-for-reefs-that-can-take-the-heat/