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Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology have identified 12 locations where they say the oceans are warming less rapidly.

They say the locations could serve as sanctuaries for declining coral and other marine species.

The locations are in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Robert van Woesik is one of the researchers. He says the locations are cooled by fast-moving water from deeper oceans.

“It’s important that we’ve identified these sanctuaries because without them we’ll potentially be protecting the wrong locations.”

Researchers are looking for similar places in the Atlantic and Caribbean, including along the Florida coast.

Van Woesik says corals could be grown in these locations and then transplanted elsewhere.