Anne Cohen from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution pilots a yellow robot named Yellowfin across the Majuro lagoon in the Marshall Islands, searching for something remarkable: coral reefs that might survive our warming oceans. While most of the world's reefs bleach and die under extreme heat, Cohen believes certain reefs possess extraordinary resilience that could repopulate more vulnerable areas.

Her Super Reefs project, launched in 2018 with The Nature Conservancy and Stanford University, targets coral strongholds in Belize, Hawaii, and the Marshall Islands. These locations already maintain marine-protected areas, ensuring research translates into real conservation action. Since 2023, record marine heat waves have impacted over 80 percent of global reefs across 83 countries and territories.

Cohen envisions creating a vast network of protected super reefs spanning the Pacific, connected by ocean currents to form a 'blue corridor' linking the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu. This would allow heat-resistant coral offspring to naturally replenish degraded reefs throughout the region. Already, more than half of the world's coral reefs have vanished due to climate change and human activity.

The researcher recently visited the Marshall Islands to pitch her corridor concept and test new technology that could accelerate the search. For Pacific island nations where coral literally forms the foundation of their land, finding these resilient reefs represents both scientific breakthrough and survival necessity.