[ad_1]
Large-scale bleaching of coral reefs has been confirmed throughout the tropics since early 2023.
Washington:
The world is currently experiencing its second major coral bleaching event in a decade, with months of record ocean heat putting coral reefs from Australia to Florida at risk of dying. US authorities announced on Monday.
The effects of coral bleaching are far-reaching, impacting not only ocean health but also human livelihoods, food security, and local economies.
Severe or prolonged heat stress can lead to coral death, but there is hope for recovery if temperatures drop and other stressors, such as overfishing and pollution, are alleviated.
“Significant coral bleaching has been recorded in each major ocean basin in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres from February 2023 to April 2024,” said Derek Manzello of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Stated.
NOAA’s heat stress monitoring is based on satellite measurements from 1985 to the present. This is the fourth bleaching event on record, with previous bleaching events occurring in 1998, 2010, and 2016.
Since early 2023, large-scale bleaching of coral reefs has been observed across the tropics, including Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the eastern tropical Pacific.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef and the only one visible from space, has been severely affected, as have large areas of the South Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf.
“We know that climate change is the biggest threat to coral reefs around the world, and the Great Barrier Reef is no exception,” Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said last month.
“More frequent and severe”
Repeated large-scale bleaching events have turned once-vibrant coral reefs into a sickly white color, threatening to rob them of their appeal to tourists.
Corals are marine invertebrates made up of individual animals called polyps that live in a symbiotic relationship with algae that live within their tissues and serve as their main food source.
When water temperatures are too high, corals expel algae and turn white, a phenomenon called bleaching, which exposes them to disease and puts them at risk of dying.
“As the world’s oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching events are becoming more frequent and severe,” Manzello said.
“When these events are severe or prolonged, they can cause coral mortality, harming the people who depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods.”
Pepe Clark from the non-profit WWF added: “If you ever wanted a concrete, visual, contemporary example of what’s at stake with any rate of warming, this is it. “The scale and severity of coral bleaching is clear evidence of the damage.” Climate change is happening now. ”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
[ad_2]
Source link
