Coral Bleaching: The Ugly Truth and How You Can Help
Coral Bleaching is terrible news. Find out here what it is and the solutions.
Most of us think first of tropical paradises teeming with exotic fish and beautiful water when it comes to the ocean. Because let’s be honest — who doesn’t love thinking about places we can go on vacation?
However, many people are not aware of the turmoil occurring in our oceans. The seas are currently undergoing some severe stressors — climate change, overfishing, pollution, you name it —
and coral bleaching has become a significant problem for the marine environment. Let’s dive into coral bleaching, how it affects our oceans, and how you can help!
What is Coral Bleaching?
Coral Bleaching is when coral expels its symbiotic algae, loses its color (indicative of its health), and becomes stressed due to rising water temperatures. Bleaching can lead to coral death if the conditions do not improve.
Coral is an interdependent organism of tiny animals (coral polyps) that produce a calcium-carbonate skeleton that develops into reefs.
Coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species. For this reason, coral reefs make up a massive portion of the ocean’s biodiversity.
Why is Coral Bleaching a Problem?
Coral bleaching is a sign that the coral is under stress. Therefore, the coral may not be able to sustain the health of the ecosystem around it.
It’s important to note that not all bleached coral will die — it is likely to still be able to function as a habitat.
Coral reefs are a crucial part of the ocean. They provide food and shelter to many marine life, protect shorelines from storms and rising sea levels, and are a big part of our tourism industry.
The Great Barrier Reef is a perfect example of the importance of healthy coral reefs. It’s the largest living coral reef globally, generating about $4.8 billion annually for the Australian economy.
Speaking of the Great Barrier Reef
3 Major Ways Coral Bleaching is Bad for the Ocean
Healthy coral reefs are essential to fishing communities — Coral reefs provide food for people worldwide. The Great Barrier Reef, for example, produces about $220 million worth of fish each year.
Coastal protection — Healthy coral reefs are better at protecting coastal communities from storms, rising sea levels, etc., than manufactured barriers.
Tourism — Healthy coral reefs attract tourists from all around the world. The Great Barrier Reef alone brings in over 2 million tourists each year and generates over $3 billion in revenue.
The Good News: There’s a Solution!
Fortunately, you, the scientists, and I can reverse coral bleaching by working together to lower the ocean’s temperature. In addition, we can save the coral if we reduce carbon emissions, shift away from fossil fuels, and reduce water pollution.
The best way to help keep the ocean healthy and help reverse coral bleaching is to act right away to alter climate change immediately.
We need to ensure our ambassadors know that we emphasize environmental protection and that we can help lower carbon emissions and lower ocean temperatures.
Conclusion
Coral bleaching is a genuine problem for the health of our oceans. Fortunately, there are things we can do to help reverse bleaching and keep our oceans healthy.
The best way to help is to take action on climate change by reducing emissions, decreasing pollution, and increasing ocean temperatures.
We can’t live without our oceans. They are an essential part of our world, and we need to protect them if we want to ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy their beauty.
Key Message: If we don’t help our oceans now, the oceans will cease to care for us.
Psst: Would you be interested in articles that delve further into innovations regarding saving baby coral and our oceans? Please comment. I would love to hear from you.
This post was originally published on Medium in May 2022.