Over a two-month study period, a warm month and a cold month, researchers measured the growth of rice corals with heat tolerant or heat sensitive symbiotic algae. During the warm-water month of the study, the scientists observed that the type of symbiotic algae didn't matter much for growth. But in the cooler second month, the fast-growing corals outpaced their heat-tolerant cousins by up to 77% in growth, especially in brighter light, resembling shallower reef areas. This shows that the heat-sensitive corals' advantage is only seasonal, and as our oceans continue to warm, the balance might tip in favor of the slow and steady heat-tolerant corals. A coral's competitive edge could be lost or gained with just a few degrees of temperature change
Your swells actually remind me a lot of something that my 8th grade science teacher did for our class at the beginning of every class, every day. I mean, almost the entire year, if my memory serves me correctly. He used to begin by playing something called Stardate. And I don't know if Stardate is around anymore. I don't know if you're familiar with it, but it was essentially like a bite sized astronomy lesson for the day