Cryomesh and Frozen Coral - The Hindu - 26/12/22

Context:
While working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, scientists have successfully trialed a new method for freezing and storing coral in their first trial.
Relevance:
GS3
About:
->Need for Freezing Coral:
-As rising ocean temperatures destabilize the delicate ecosystems of Coral, therefore scientists are striving to protect coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years, including the first-ever bleach during a La Niña phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.
-Scientists used the cryomesh to freeze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS).

-->Methodology of Freezing Coral:
-->Cryomesh:
Cryomesh was devised by a team from the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering. This is lightweight and can be manufactured cheaply. It better preserves coral and has the properties of cryoplates.
The mesh technology will help store coral larvae at -196°C (-320.8°F).
-->Significance:
This cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild. But current process requires sophisticated equipment including lasers, however a new lightweight “cryomesh” can be manufactured cheaply and better preserves coral.

Corals: Corals are marine invertebrates or animals which do not possess a spine. In scientific classification, corals fall under the phylum Cnidaria and the class Anthozoa.
Coral is made up of genetically identical organisms called polyps. These polyps have microscopic algae called zooxanthellae living within their tissues.

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