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Researchers studied coral reefs along the length of the Great Barrier Reef in order to gain a more accurate understanding of how rising ocean temperatures and higher levels of acidity are affecting the planet’s coral.

Their findings suggest that, although some coral populations are in decline, others are on the rise. They found that each individual coral species has reacted in a different way to climate change, independent of how other species are affected.

Although this study does give us hope for the overall survival of Earth’s coral reefs, scientist Terry Hughes warns that coral reefs and the creatures that live in and around them are still under threat, "If susceptible table and branching species are replaced by mound-shaped corals, it would leave fewer nooks and crannies where fish shelter and feed," he said.

Read more in the EurekAlert article.