Bleached Beauty

By: Kirstin Petzer

In ‘Carbon dioxide: Hero to Villain’ we spoke a little about how greenhouse gasses drive global warming. Now we would like to explore some of the impacts of global warming on one of the most captivating earth landscapes: Coral reefs. Coral reefs are the support system for about 40% of the oceans life and hosts over 4000 fish species. It is no wonder that millions of people per year travel to the incredible coral reefs’ worldwide.

 

To understand how global warming impacts corals, we need to know a little bit about the ecosystem. Corals have a mutual understanding with microscopic algae. The microscopic algae give the corals a food source and the microscopic algae get a place to call home. When the ocean surface gets warmer than usual corals get placed under a lot of stress. If the water temperature gets extremely warm, the corals will force the microscopic algae from their home; this process is described as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching can easily be identified, the corals will have a white coloring.

But good news! Coral bleaching does not mean that the coral is dead. If microscopic algae can make a home again in the coral, the coral reef can recover. Almost 75% of the world’s coral has experienced coral bleaching, with 30% of the corals not able to recover. The percentage of coral reefs affected by the warming of the ocean is expected to increase as the carbon dioxide levels increase.

Coral reefs are important for coastal countries’ food supply and assist in decreasing the impact of large waves. This is why around the world there are researchers and communities fighting to keep their corals healthy by having coral restoration programs. Get involved by volunteering or even just traveling.