The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a report exploring coral bleaching risk in reefs all over the world, pinpointing Florida as highly susceptible to this effect of climate change.
Coral bleaching happens when ocean waters warm up, prompting algae living within coral tissues to leave. This results in the coral losing its vibrant color, turning completely white over time as more and more algae leave. Extensive bleaching in corals has been happening more frequently and has become more severe over the past 20 years no thanks to climate change.
Previous research has shown that almost all of the coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean will be experiencing bleaching by the middle of the century, but NOAA's report has detailed when and where the bleaching will occur, noting in the journal Global Change Biology that projected bleaching occurrences greatly vary in location and timing.
Ruben van Hooidonk from the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, who is lead author of the report, said the projections they arrived at will aid resource managers in better understanding coral bleaching, in turn allowing them to better plan for its effects.
Some locations in the report were referred to as "relative refugia," meaning these spots have fewer instances of extreme events and lower rates in temperature spikes, giving them more time for adapting to the effects of climate change.
"Managers may decide to use this information to protect these locations as refuges or protected areas. Or they may take other actions to reduce stress caused by human activities," said Van Hooidonk.
Aside from Florida, other locations identified in the NOAA report set to experience coral bleaching within the next 15 years or so include the Bahamas, Mexico, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. These reef areas projected to undergo bleaching should then be given priority in conservation efforts.
Losing coral reefs has an ecological, social and economic effect. Without coral reefs, fish will not have the habitat they need to thrive, cutting back on food sources for people.
Opportunities for tourism are also reduced since underwater treasures in these reefs attract visitors from all over to dive and fish.
When storms come, reefs also act as protective buffers along coastlines, absorbing wave energy and keeping wave damage to coastal locations to a minimum.
Bob Glazer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission welcomed the NOAA report, saying the projections offer vital information about the threat level coral bleaching brings, which will aid the agency in making better management decisions.
Photo: Gavin Bain | Flickr
