Coral reef recovery trajectories following compound marine heatwaves in the Arabian Sea

Abstract

Compound marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, yet long-term recovery dynamics of reefs exposed to repeated events are poorly documented. We report eight years of benthic surveys from 24 reef sites and find that recovery depends strongly on structural complexity and herbivore biomass. Sites with intact grazer communities regained 70% of pre-disturbance coral cover within five years.

Keywords

• coral reefs
• marine heatwaves
• resilience
• conservation