Today's Edition
The Mubadala Arabian Centre for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ACCESS) at New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi on Sunday announced that it had received a grant from Dalio Philanthropies to support cutting-edge climate research, including ways to increase coral resilience in a warming ocean.
The $1 million grant will include two years of support for a project led by NYUAD associate professor of biology Dr. John Burt that will explore the selection and crossbreeding of heat-resistant corals in the Arabian Gulf with heat-sensitive corals found elsewhere to produce climate-resistant corals that can better withstand climate change.
As waters warm and ocean chemistry changes due to increased CO2 levels, coral around the world is experiencing more frequent bleaching and loss. Corals in the Arabian Gulf, however, have proven able to survive at significantly higher temperatures.
In initial experiments, Dr. Burt's team found that crossbreeding UAE corals with Indian Ocean corals can lead to 84% higher heat tolerance in hybrid offspring.
The grant also provides an anchor for future collaborations between global ocean exploration nonprofit OceanX, an operating programme of Dalio Philanthropies, and NYUAD, particularly around ocean education and scientific research.
The partnership kicked off this month with an OceanX-led research mission in the UAE with Dr. Burt and other scientists from the Mubadala ACCESS Centre studying the region's ecosystems, biodiversity, and megafauna.
Together, scientists from OceanX and NYUAD will develop a comprehensive baseline understanding of UAE waters to better predict the impacts of climate change drivers globally.
OceanX and NYUAD are committed to exploring other opportunities for collaboration, including NYUAD student internships at OceanX, participation in OceanX's flagship educational programme, Young Explorers, and other ocean education initiatives.
"OceanX is excited to collaborate with Dr. Burt and NYUAD on research in the UAE that will have far-reaching implications for coral restoration and understanding of climate effects," said Mark Dalio, founder and co-CEO of OceanX.
"At OceanX we believe educating the public about the ocean is necessary to ensure the future health and sustainability of our planet; it is impossible to protect what we do not know," he added.
Dr. Burt said, "The research we have initiated in collaboration with Dalio Philanthropies is of immense significance, not only for the UAE and the regional biodiversity, but also for the world."
He added that preserving the richness of ocean biodiversity is an investment in the future of the planet and all life that depends on it.
The grant announcement follows the formal signing of a memorandum of understanding between NYU Abu Dhabi, Dalio Philanthropies, and OceanX at COP28, where OceanX hosted a Blue Zone Pavilion with IOC-UNESCO.
