Corals are bleaching and dying earlier in the year than ever before
Graphic detail page. ON JULY 24TH a buoy in the Manatee Bay off Florida’s southern tip measured a record-breaking sea-surface temperature of more than 101F (38°C). Normally, you’d need to take a bath to immerse yourself in water of that temperature.
Beachgoers may not mind the warm waters now present off the coast of Florida and in many other places, but they are terrible for marine wildlife. Many underwater creatures will move to colder waters. For plants and animals that can move less freely, including corals, the high ocean temperatures are life threatening.
According to America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors coral heat stress by satellite, parts of the ocean off the coast of Florida are experiencing the worst heat stress since records began in 1985. In the Florida Keys water temperatures have risen to dangerous levels for corals much earlier than in previous years, too (see chart). The NOAA has issued its highest alert level, signalling that strong bleaching events are likely, for large parts of the Caribbean (see map).
The longer corals are in hot waters, the more likely they are to bleach and eventually to die. Bleaching events have already occurred this year off the coast of Central American countries, including El Salvador and Panama. Corals are essential to marine life and support jobs.
They provide breeding grounds, food or shelter to about a quarter of all marine species at some point in their lives, even though they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor. Reefs also break waves and protect shores from erosion. The fish they attract provide livelihoods to fishermen.
Read more on livemint.com
