At a Glance

Researchers have discovered a community of "super" corals in New Caledonia.The corals have adapted to hot, acidic, low-oxygen waters.The scientists plan to study the corals to see if they can help in the effort to maintain the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral bleaching triggered by global warming is a constant threat to our oceans' reefs, but a recent study suggestssome "super" coral species may be able to adapt to climate change and help manage the ecosystems in the future.

In 2016, researchers explored a remote lagoon system in New Caledonia and found in which they were immersed, according to the study published in Nature.

"The existence of corals living under this usually deadly trio of conditions, comparable and even exceeding what is predicted under climate change, gives us new hope that some corals ," marine biologist Dr. EmmaCamp said in a release on the study.

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The photo above shows the "super" corals found in New Caledonia.

(University of Technology Sydney/Steph Gardner)

Bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by changes in their environment, leading them to discharge tiny photosynthetic algae. Last month, researchers determined the Great Barrier Reef has been severely damaged by bleaching caused by climate change and cannot be saved in its present form, further fueling the need to find a solution.

"By exploring the very margins such as reef-neighboring mangroves that are often ignored by coral surveys, we're continually finding populations of super coral that are resistant to hot, acidic and hypoxic conditions predicted under climate change," program leader David Suggett said in the release. "This is a game-changer for how we consider coral reef resilience into the future for the Great Barrier Reef."

Since finding these super corals, Camp and her team of researchers will attempt to identify the extremes to which corals in the Great Barrier Reef have adapted, as well as determine how they may cope in the future, according to the release.

"These could indeed be the super corals of the future that will help support proactive management options attempting to upgrade reef resilience," she said.

Though their findings are promising, the scientists know there’s a lot of workto be done to protect the world’s coral reefs.

"Although our findings are extremely positive, we must not underestimate the threat to the world’s coral reefs from climate change," said Suggett. "We know reefs are terminally ill globally and immediate action is needed to ensure their success."MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Coral Bleaching