Changing Planet, April 24, 2024, PBS, Coral Special

In the season premiere of “Changing Planet,” airing on PBS on Wednesday April 24, Dr. M. Sanjayan takes viewers on an urgent journey to explore the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems, focusing on the crisis facing coral reefs.

In the third year of this ambitious seven-year project, Sanjayan travels to the Maldives to investigate the impact of climate change on coral reefs and the innovative efforts to save them. With stunning underwater cinematography, the episode highlights the race against time to help damaged reefs recover.

Coral reefs are at a breaking point, with warming seas causing corals to bleach and die. According to scientists, if no action is taken, nearly all reefs could be lost within the next few decades. Sanjayan visits Laamu Atoll in the Maldives to join a world-first collaboration that could be pivotal in restoring reefs.

Professor Peter Harrison from Southern Cross University in Australia has developed a “coral IVF” technique to enhance coral reproduction. By collecting and maximizing the fertilization of coral spawn, he increases the chances of survival for the resulting larvae. This technique is combined with the work of Professor Steve Simpson from Bristol University, who discovered that coral larvae are attracted to the sound of a healthy reef, especially fish vocalizations. Their joint effort could be a game-changer for global reef restoration.

There is also a local conservation efforts, such as the work of Dr. Erinn Muller at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida, who is nurturing coral fragments to prevent their extinction. Plus, Professor Andrew Baker from the University of Miami is creating hybrid reefs—concrete structures seeded with coral larvae—to provide a new habitat for wildlife and protect coastlines from extreme weather.

“Changing Planet: Coral Special” premieres on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 8:00 PM ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS App.