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Coral Bleaching

by Pragati Dubey | 30-09-2021 21:23 recommendations 0

When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white.
Can coral survive a bleaching event? If the stress-caused bleaching is not severe, coral have been known to recover. If the algae loss is prolonged and the stress continues, coral eventually dies.
Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

In 2005, the U.S. lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year due to a massive bleaching event. The warm waters centered around the northern Antilles near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico expanded southward. Comparison of satellite data from the previous 20 years confirmed that thermal stress from the 2005 event was greater than the previous 20 years combined.

Not all bleaching events are due to warm water.

In January 2010, cold water temperatures in the Florida Keys caused a coral bleaching event that resulted in some coral death. Water temperatures dropped 12.06 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the typical temperatures observed at this time of year. Researchers will evaluate if this cold-stress event will make corals more susceptible to disease in the same way that warmer waters impact corals.
Source: ocean service

 

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2 Comments

  • Hannah Mentor says :
    Hello Pragati, this is your mentor Hannah.

    I'm so sorry for the late comment.
    Well written thematic article on Coral bleaching.
    I know that coral are sensitive to marine temperature, which is very interesting stuff.
    Thank you for your great article and please keep up with your wonderful work :) Happy new year!

    Sincerly,
    Hannah

    Posted 03-01-2022 14:33

  • Joon Mentor says :
    Hello Pragati,
    this is your mentor Joon.

    Though I have hear about reduce of coral reef, I have never figured out the reason
    to it. Also it is my first time listening that corals go white, or bleach, when it gets
    stressed by external stimulations. By I would like to know why do they bleach? or change the color of themselves even though it still has chances to survive? I am quite curious about that issue. Is it to protect itself? or is it just made that way?
    Why don't you research more about it? I guess It would be quite interesting.

    Best,

    Joon
    Posted 01-10-2021 03:23

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