50% of Jeju's Beomseom Coral Cluster Struggles as Ocean Warming Slumps Soft Corals
Citizen scientists and KIOST researchers are tracking a second year of soft coral slumping off South Korea's Jeju Island, with roughly half of one Beomseom cluster struggling. The UNESCO-listed coral gardens are collapsing as rising seas disrupt the hydrostatic pressure soft corals need to remain upright. Government agencies have pledged detailed investigations as 2024's event repeats.