[INFORMATIVE] What is Coral Bleaching?

What is Coral Bleaching?

By: Shahd Alrahomi

Coral bleaching, similar to when your clothes get a bleach stain, is when coral reefs lose their vibrant hue and turn white. As we know, getting bleach on your clothes is no fun, and this is the case for corals as well. It is detrimental to the ecosystems that people and wildlife both rely on. In this essay, the process of coral bleaching, the makeup of corals, the negative effects, and how we can help our reefs will be discussed.

To be more specific regarding the process of coral bleaching, it is vital to understand the basics that make up corals. Corals have microscopic algae responsible for their color, food source, health, and protection, called zooxanthellae. With bleaching, these algae are stripped from the corals, leaving them without color. This procedure is more intricately defined by NOAA’s National Ocean Service: “When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white.” While the coral is not dead, it is put under more stress and has higher chances of death.

Zooxanthellae, the algae that build up coral reefs, is a type of photosynthetic cell that lives in coral reefs. Corals and the zooxanthellae have a special relationship where they benefit from each other. Corals provide shelter and protection, as well as produce carbon dioxide and water needed for photosynthesis, but zooxanthellae do a lot for corals too! As stated by NationalOceanService, “The zooxanthellae use energy from the sun to turn the carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and help the coral to remove waste. Most importantly, zooxanthellae supply the coral with the building blocks of sugars and proteins, which are the products of photosynthesis. The coral uses these products to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and produce calcium carbonate. This leads to coral growth and reproduction.”

As established above, coral reefs expel algae due to their environment; if the water temperature goes up and becomes too hot, the algae leave until the coral is completely white, giving the effect of bleaching. So why does this happen? One of the main factors is climate change, which has been a negative factor for years in our biosphere. According to the United Nations, “Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.” Because our planet is getting hotter, our bodies of water are warming, too. Even a slight increase in water temperature can cause corals to bleach. Pollutants and low tides can also be damaging factors.

Coral bleaching is an issue for oceanic animals because the food chain gets disrupted. As coral reefs lose their zooxanthellae, their life span shortens, threatening the ecosystems on Earth. Coral reefs support thousands of sea animals like crabs, fish, and turtles by providing homes and protection from predators. As these reefs disappear, extinction is at bay, and the lives of these animals become vulnerable. Not to mention, humans also become at risk when coral reefs start to decrease in number. WorldWildLife.Org mentions, “Coral reefs are natural barriers that absorb the force of waves and storm surges, keeping coastal communities safe. Without them, we must rely on man-made sea walls that are expensive, less effective, and environmentally damaging to construct. Bleached coral also compounds the overfishing crisis by removing links in the food web and depriving some fish and crustacean species of a place to spawn and develop. Anyone relying on these animals as a primary source of income or protein will be in trouble. Finally, reef tourism brings in billions of dollars each year and supports thousands of jobs. Bleached coral reefs, devoid of magnificent marine species, jeopardize it all.” This perfectly highlights the importance of coral reefs, so what can we do to help?

As a community, it is important to come together to save our environment. We all have a responsibility when it comes to protecting the coral reefs. To begin with, we must do something about climate change, which has been a recurring problem. We can reduce the emissions of fossil fuels by switching to more environmentally friendly things like biomass, solar energy, nuclear power, renewable energy and more. Other factors contributing to climate change include deforestation, overfishing, and more. It is not going to be simple, but if we are determined, we need to act.

In conclusion, coral bleaching does not seem like much. However, it is gradually becoming a major problem. Slowly but surely, if we let this continue, our coral reefs will go extinct, negatively affecting wildlife and humans. Not all hope is lost, though. If everybody comes together and puts in the effort, then there is a chance for our world to become a better place. Many around the planet have already started implementing renewable energy. Data shows that it is becoming more popular. Furthermore, there has been a dramatic five-percent increase in wind energy worldwide. Let us help our environment, for it is the least we can do for our future generations.


Works Cited:
“Everything You Need to Know about Coral Bleaching—and How We Can Stop It | Pages | WWF.” Worldwildlife.Org, www.worldwildlife.org/pages/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coral-bleaching-and-how-we-can-stop-it. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “NOAA National Ocean Service Education.” Corals Tutorial, NOAA, 1 May 2024, oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/coral02_zooxanthellae.html.

“We Believe in Coral Reefs.” Coral Reef Alliance, 5 Aug. 2024, coral.org/en/. “What Is Climate Change?” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.