Hot Oceans Are Killing Coral Reefs Around the World
Summary
Due to the increasing temperatures of coastal waters, coral reefs are being bleached. Coral begins to die when the water gets too hot because they cannot support the algae that sustain them. This phenomenon could prove devastating to island dwellers who depend on the abundance of fish, which can no longer be sustained in bleached coral. Scientists expect 95% of coral in the U.S. are to be bleached. Conditions are not improving as El Niño approaches and threatens even hotter waters.
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ReflectionThe process of coral bleaching is truly a crippling one. Without coral reefs, numerous aquatic species will die off because the bleached coral cannot support them. I see this issue as a very scary phenomenon, because it could wipe out the very thing that sustains sea creatures, which in turn serve as island dwellers' staple diet. I found it extremely shocking that 95% of the corals in the U.S. are vulnerable to bleaching. Although scientists have been monitoring the process and effects of bleaching, I do not see a way to prevent it from continuing.
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Author: Brian Kahn, Climate Central
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