Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Burt Marine Biology Lab are conducting tests to identify differences in stress tolerance among individual corals to understand the genetic and molecular drivers of variation in heat resilience.
Known as the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS), it is designed to rapidly test coral stress responses by exposing coral fragments to short-term high-temperature treatments under controlled conditions. The team is setting up these experiments across the different emirates during the summer of 2025.
The data collected not only provides insights into species and population-level heat tolerance thresholds, but is also vital in shaping reef restoration strategies and helping conservation teams in selecting and prioritizing coral species most likely to thrive in a warming climate.
Following promising pilot studies in 2024, the expanded research is being conducted across multiple emirates to include a wider variety of coral habitats and conditions.
Led by Professor of Biology John Burt and research assistant Georgina Matthews, and with support from Mubadala ACCESS, this project reflects NYUAD’s commitment in tackling environmental challenges with forward-thinking science and data that can extend beyond the shores of the UAE waters.
