As per National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the ongoing mass coral bleaching event is now the most extensive one and has broken the previous records by more than 11% in about half the time.
- Current bleaching has so far subjected a staggering 77% of the world’s coral reef areas – from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian oceans – to bleaching-level heat stress, as climate change fuels record and near-record ocean temperatures across the world.
About Coral Bleaching
- Corals are a marine species having a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues.
- Coral bleaching is defined as the process in which corals expel their symbiotic algae due to environmental stressors like changes in temperature, light or nutrients.
- The current 4th bleaching event was declared by NOAA Coral Reef Authority in April 2024.
- First bleaching event reported in 1998 caused a loss of 8% of the world's corals.
- ~14% of the world’s remaining corals were estimated to have died in the previous two global bleaching events (2010 and 2014-2017)
- Impact of Coral Bleaching
- Ecological: Reduced biodiversity, disruptions in food chain, etc.
- Socio-economic impacts: Decline in fisheries sector, reduced tourism, etc.
Initiatives taken to prevent coral bleachingIndia
Global
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