The International Coral Reef Initiative has announced that 84% of the world’s coral has suffered from the worst bleaching event on record. This is the fourth event of its kind to be recorded since 1998, dethroning the 2014-2017 bleaching event as the most destructive.
This is devastating not just for coral reefs, but for the ocean ecosystem at large. Also dubbed “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are vital to oceanic biodiversity. Nearly a quarter of the ocean’s species can be found around, on, or in coral reefs. The reefs are also vital to life aboveground, as coral protects coastlines from storms and erosions, drives tourism in some locations, and of course contributes to seafood production and consumption.
Experts are unsure when this current bleaching event, which began in 2023, will end. The reason for its resurgence is believed to be warming oceans, a direct effect of climate change. Mark Eakin, a retired coral monitoring chief for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the current executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society, says, “We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching [drop] below the threshold that triggers a global event.”
According to Eakin, this is “something that’s completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods.” With last year being the hottest on record, oceans are feeling the brunt of this extreme change in temperature. The average water temperature of oceans away from north and south poles was a record 70.57°F, which is deadly for corals as it kicks off the bleaching process.
The algae that live inside corals give them their color and are also a food source for them. Too much warmth for an extended period of time causes the algae housed in the coral to release toxic compounds. This, in turn, causes the coral to eject the algae, losing its color, and undergoing a “bleaching” process that leaves behind a white skeleton. The coral becomes weak, and is at increased risk of death.
The severity of the current bleaching event is such that the NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program had to add additional levels to its scale in order fully account for the potential risk of coral death.
There have been widespread efforts to protect and restore coral around the world. In one such example, Dutch scientists have tried to create a coral propagation “zoo.” Taking coral fragments from damaged reefs around the world, these scientists are trying to regrow them in a controlled environment, much like gardeners do with plants. The goal is to eventually reintroduce these grown corals to the wild and repopulate dwindling reefs where needed.
Elsewhere, like off the coast of Florida, scientists are rescuing endangered corals from high heat, nursing them back to health, and returning them to the ocean. Despite these efforts, Eakin and many others agree that “the best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change.” And according to him, that means “reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels… everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.”
Melanie McField, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, says, “I think people really need to recognize what they’re doing… inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs.” As coral watch groups monitor the bleaching event, it is imperative that we do our part, individually and collectively, to protect our Earth and its biodiversity.
84% of the world's coral is at risk due to an ongoing bleaching event, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative.
This marks the fourth bleaching event recorded since 1998 and the worst-ever on record.
Coral bleaching occurs due to prolonged periods of warming that causes algae on reefs to release toxins.
The bleaching event is a direct effect of climate change, and will be devastating for marine biodiversity.
Source: 84% of the world’s coral reefs impacted in the most intense global coral bleaching event ever
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