Latest news with #CoralReefWatch
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Global Coral Bleaching Event Is 'Biggest To Date,' Affecting 84% Of All Reefs, New Report Finds
The impacts of warming global temperatures are having a catastrophic effect on the planet's coral reefs, a new report has concluded. Released Wednesday, the findings from the International Coral Reef Initiative revealed that 84% of the world's coral reefs have been impacted by a bleaching event that started in 2023 and remains ongoing. During that time, global temperatures have soared to the highest levels ever recorded, and that heat is being absorbed by our oceans, warming the corals to dangerous levels. (MORE: Stunning Discovery In Sunken WWII Aircraft Carrier) Scientists say it's upending a key piece of the underwater ecosystem that's home to 25% of all marine species, according to the Associated Press. And recent bleaching events have been so severe that more levels had to be added to the alert scale managed by NOAA's Coral Reef Watch. - "The ongoing global coral bleaching event is the biggest to date." -NOAA - "We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event. We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods." -Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society - "Mass bleaching has frequently coincided with episodes of El Niño, a global climate pattern that usually increases temperatures. That was the case in 1998, 2016 and again last year, which was the warmest year on record." -The Washington Post In addition to providing life for numerous sea creatures, coral reefs also play an important role in keeping us safer from extreme weather. Their presence can lessen the impact of storms along coastlines – including the Florida coast during hurricane season – and they can also reduce the amount of erosion that occurs along the shore. (MORE: These US Cities Have The Cleanest Air) Ecologists say these are all reasons why the corals simply must be protected from death by overheating, and although their conservation efforts are helping in some areas, the experts say slowing global warming is the only way to prevent a catastrophic loss before the end of the century. "The ancestors of today's corals survived the impact of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs on land and a lot of creatures in the sea," Joerg Wiedenmann, a marine biologist who leads the Coral Reef Laboratory at the University of Southampton in England, told the Washington Post. "So, if we manage to decrease ocean warming, there is always a chance for corals to recover."
Scientific American
24-04-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
84 Percent of Corals Impacted in Mass Bleaching Event
All around the world, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Florida Keys, the bright, vibrant colors of coral reefs have turned ghostly white in vast swaths as our planet has experienced the largest mass coral bleaching event on record. The crisis could have enormous consequences for ocean ecosystems and the global economy. Some 84 percent of the world's reefs have been hit by bleaching since January 1, 2023, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global partnership among various countries and organizations. This is the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and it surpasses the record set by the previous one, which lasted from 2014 to 2017 and affected two thirds of the ocean's reefs. What is coral bleaching? On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Corals are symbiotic animals: they get their bright colors from algae that live within them. The corals supply the algae with needed nitrogen, and the algae in turn supply the corals with the carbon they use as food. But if the water gets too warm, the algae release toxic compounds, and the corals expel the algae, leaving the corals with clear tissues through which their white skeleton is visible. If temperatures cool again, algae can recolonize the corals, and the reef can heal. But during the time the algae are gone, the corals become weakened and more susceptible to disease and pollution —and if the algae stay away too long, the corals die. That's not just a concern for people who enjoy diving to view the teeming reefs; bleaching has potentially huge ecological and economic ramifications. Reefs are extremely biodiverse—they are sometimes called the 'rainforests of the sea'—and support about one third of all known marine life. Corals also protect shorelines from erosion and storms. Some research has estimated they contribute about $9.8 trillion to the global economy each year. During the current bleaching event, '82 countries, territories and economies' have suffered damage as a result, the ICRI says. What is causing the mass bleaching event? The event has been driven by persistent, exceptionally hot ocean temperatures, fueled by global warming. The average global temperature is about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) higher than it was in the late 19th century, and the bulk of that excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans. The average global ocean surface temperature reached a record-warm level in 2024, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Because of the exceptional heat, NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program had to add three new levels to the agency's Bleaching Alert Scale in 2023. Previously, the highest level was 2, which indicated risk of mortality in heat-sensitive corals. Now the highest level means that more than 80 percent of corals on a reef are at risk of dying. As the planet's temperatures continue to rise, so does the threat that more reefs may disappear. 'We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,' said Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and former chief of Coral Reef Watch, to the Associated Press. 'We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods.' How can coral reefs be protected? Many scientists are studying corals to see what types might best withstand marine heat waves. Researchers are also investigating whether coral fragments can be propagated in labs and replanted to restore reefs. But the most effective ways to protect and preserve reefs is to minimize humans' effects by curtailing pollution that washes into the ocean from land, ending overfishing and curbing the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels,' Eakin told the Associated Press. 'Everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.'
Japan Today
23-04-2025
- Science
- Japan Today
Global coral bleaching has now hit 84% of ocean's reefs
FILE - Bleached coral is visible at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) By ISABELLA O'MALLEY Harmful bleaching of the world's coral has grown to include 84% of the ocean's reefs in the most intense event of its kind in recorded history, the International Coral Reef Initiative announced Wednesday. It's the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and has now surpassed bleaching from 2014-17 that hit some two-thirds of reefs, said the ICRI, a mix of more than 100 governments, non-governmental organizations and others. And it's not clear when the current crisis, which began in 2023 and is blamed on warming oceans, will end. 'We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,' said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and retired coral monitoring chief for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods,' Eakin said. Last year was Earth's hottest year on record, and much of that is going into oceans. The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit). That's deadly to corals, which are key to seafood production, tourism and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. Coral reefs are sometimes dubbed 'rainforests of the sea' because they support high levels of biodiversity — approximately 25% of all marine species can be found in, on and around coral reefs. Coral get their bright colors from the colorful algae that live inside them and are a food source for the corals. Prolonged warmth causes the algae to release toxic compounds, and the coral eject them. A stark white skeleton is left behind, and the weakened coral is at heightened risk of dying. The bleaching event has been so severe that NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program has had to add levels to its bleaching alert scale to account for the growing risk of coral death. Efforts are underway to conserve and restore coral. One Dutch lab has worked with coral fragments, including some taken from off the coast of the Seychelles, to propagate them in a zoo so that they might be used someday to repopulate wild coral reefs if needed. Other projects, including one off Florida, have worked to rescue corals endangered by high heat and nurse them back to health before returning them to the ocean. But scientists say it's essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And 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,' Eakin said. 'I think people really need to recognize what they're doing … inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs,' said Melanie McField, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, a network of scientists that monitors reefs throughout the world. The group's update comes as President Donald Trump has moved aggressively in his second term to boost fossil fuels and roll back clean energy programs, which he says is necessary for economic growth. 'We've got a government right now that is working very hard to destroy all of these ecosystems ... removing these protections is going to have devastating consequences," Eakin said. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Most of world's colourful corals go white in record-breaking bleaching
The world's rainbow reefs have gone ghostly white in seas around the globe. The "most intense global coral bleaching event ever" has so far struck 84 per cent of the world's reefs and is ongoing, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) — a global partnership between nations and non-governmental and international organizations focused on sustainable management of coral reefs — reported on Wednesday. The new figure is far worse than previous events that hit 21 to 68 per cent of reefs. But scientists say the reefs and the corals are not all dead yet and could still bounce back if people take the right steps, including conservation and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Corals are small marine animals that live in colonies with colourful symbiotic algae that give them their rainbow hues and supply them with most of their food. But when the water gets too warm for too long, the algae release toxic compounds, and the corals expel them, leaving behind a white skeleton — causing "bleaching." The current global bleaching event, the fourth since 1998, started in January 2023, hitting different parts of the world at different times over the past two years, amid record-breaking ocean temperatures. It was officially declared a global coral bleaching event in April 2024. Last year, the Earth's hottest on record, the oceans also broke a record, hitting an average annual sea surface temperature of 20.87 C away from the poles. WATCH | Coral reefs experiencing mass bleaching event: No end in sight? The fact that it's ongoing two years later takes the world's reefs "into uncharted waters," Britta Schaffelke, a researcher with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and co-ordinator of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, said in a statement accompanying ICRI's news release. "In the past, many coral reefs around the world were able to recover from severe events like bleaching or storms," she said. But the length of this bleaching event and the fact that it is getting longer by the day worries coral scientists. Mark Eakin, corresponding secretary of the International Coral Reef Society and retired chief of the Coral Reef Watch program of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said it's an open question when — and even if — the current bleaching will end. "We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event," he told The Associated Press. WATCH | Coral reefs in Florida are hurting, but this may be the way to save them: Valeria Pizarro, a researcher with the non-profit Perry Institute for Marine Science who studies corals in the Caribbean, said bleaching used to sometimes happen at the end of summer, when the waters are at their warmest. But the current event started in her region in July, and temperatures are already 30 C to 32 C, when they're usually 28 C at this time of year. It has also damaged even very common species, she said, adding, "That is shocking." Nicola Smith, an assistant professor of biology at Montreal's Concordia University who also studies coral reefs in the Caribbean, noted that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has projected that coral reefs will decline 70 to 90 per cent if the global temperature warms to 1.5 C above pre-industrial temperatures. "We're seeing it play out before our eyes," she said. "This is what it's going to look like, not just in summer during bleaching, but year-round." Smith said the loss of coral reefs could harm many fish and other marine creatures. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected that if the world warms 1.5 C, there will be a 70 to 90 per cent decline in coral reefs. (CBC) "They provide literally thousands of other species with habitat as well as food, as well as shelter and sites for reproduction." The ICRI said not only does a third of marine life rely on coral reefs, but also a billion people — both directly and indirectly — for things like food, tourism and protection from storms. It estimates they contribute $10 trillion to the global economy. Not dead yet Still, the ICRI thinks corals can still survive this century if people take conservation measures and cut greenhouse gas emissions to slow ocean warming. And other scientists say despite the grim news, corals can often withstand and bounce back from bleaching. Melanie McField, founder and director of the Florida-based non-profit Healthy Reefs for Healthy People, said even without their food-supplying symbiotic algae, corals starve to death very slowly. "It ... takes months usually," she said. "They're kind of hanging on. Part of it is alive, it's partly dead." And even if the coral dies, other reef organisms such as sponges and crusty, pink coralline algae live on. WATCH | Our oceans are warming. What does that mean for the ecosystem?: "The Australians call it living dead. So you've still got a reef, you've still got some fish around," McField said. "Everything is kind of brown and grey." But the reef is vulnerable at that point, as sponges, worms and other creatures eat into the coral that is no longer rebuilding itself. "And then when that hurricane comes, it turns into rubble," McField said. She said that can be scary for people living on coasts protected by the coral reefs: "It's life and security." WATCH | Reef Rescue: Coral Atlas: The ICRI estimates that to save coral reefs and the people who rely on them, spending on solutions needs to increase sevenfold. Things that could help include selective breeding, coral restoration, reducing pollution and stopping overfishing. McField said that so far, a lot of those strategies are "very small little efforts at this time" and more of them are needed. Tiny fish hover over bleached corals in Ningaloo, Western Australia, in a February 2025 photo. Sponges and other marine creatures may still remain, and the corals may not be dead yet. (Daniel Nicholson/Ocean Image Bank) But keeping the global temperature as little above 1.5 C as possible is "necessary to give these coral conservation measures a chance to work," the ICRI said. McField agrees. "You can have all these efforts at 1.5 or 1.6 or 1.7, but probably not 2.... Don't go above that [or] I'm not sure we're going to be able to save them."
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
23-04-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
84 per cent of world's coral reefs hit by worst bleaching event on record
Harmful bleaching of the world's coral has grown to include 84 per cent of the ocean's reefs in the most intense event of its kind in recorded history, the International Coral Reef Initiative announced Wednesday. It's the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and has now surpassed bleaching from 2014-17 that hit some two-thirds of reefs, said the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a mix of more than 100 governments, non-governmental organisations and others. And it's not clear when the current crisis, which began in 2023 and is blamed on warming oceans, will end. We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event, said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and retired coral monitoring chief for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods, Eakin said. Last year was Earth's hottest year on record, and much of that is going into oceans. The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius. That's deadly to corals, which are key to seafood production, tourism and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. Coral reefs are sometimes dubbed rainforests of the sea because they support high levels of biodiversity approximately 25 per cent of all marine species can be found in, on and around coral reefs. Coral get their bright colours from the colourful algae that live inside them and are a food source for the corals. Prolonged warmth causes the algae to release toxic compounds, and the coral eject them. A stark white skeleton is left behind, and the weakened coral is at heightened risk of dying. The bleaching event has been so severe that NOAA's Coral Reef Watch programme has had to add levels to its bleaching alert scale to account for the growing risk of coral death. Efforts are underway to conserve and restore coral. One Dutch lab has worked with coral fragments, including some taken from off the coast of the Seychelles, to propagate them in a zoo so that they might be used someday to repopulate wild coral reefs if needed. Other projects, including one off Florida, have worked to rescue corals endangered by high heat and nurse them back to health before returning them to the ocean. But scientists say it's essential to reduce emissions from the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that warm the planet. The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And 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, Eakin said. I think people really need to recognise what they're doing inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs, said Melanie McField, co-chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, a network of scientists that monitors reefs throughout the world. The group's update comes as President Donald Trump has moved aggressively in his second term to boost fossil fuels and roll back clean energy programmes, which he says is necessary for economic growth. We've got a government right now that is working very hard to destroy all of these ecosystems ... removing these protections is going to have devastating consequences, Eakin said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
