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The leading cause of coral reef bleaching is caused by a change in temperature due to climate change. Also, runoff from precipitation can carry pollutants which may bleach some corals near the shore. Another cause of coral reef bleaching is due to a drop in pH levels caused by the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide.

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Location of where the problem or issue is occuring

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Location of where the problem or issue is occuring

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Coral reef bleaching is occurring in many areas all throughout the ocean. However, the Great Barrier reef, which is the world's largest coral reef system, is being impacted the most.

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Coral bleaching in the Ocean effects peoples' safety because healthy corals absorb the force of waves and storms in oder to keep coastal communities safe. Without them, coastal communities can be in trouble and it may be expensive to build sea walls in replace of corals to keep communities safe. Coral bleaching also reduces catches for fishers, which can cause a food supply shortage on fish.

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Possible solutions to stop coral reef bleaching in the Ocean

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Possible solutions to stop coral reef bleaching in the Ocean

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One solution to stop coral reef bleaching in the Ocean is by conserving water. By doing so, there will be less runoff/wastewater that goes into the ocean. Another solution to prevent coral reef bleaching in the Ocean is to not use pesticides and fertilizers that are chemically enhanced because they may end up in the watershed and go straight into the ocean, effecting and bleaching the coral reefs.

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Predictions of future effects of coral reef bleaching 

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Predictions of future effects of coral reef bleaching 

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One prediction scientists have made of the future effects of coral reefs in the Ocean is the reefs will dissolve in the ocean within the next 100 years. It is also estimated that there will be a 70%-90% decrease of coral reefs due to global warming.

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Before and after picture of a coral reef

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Before and after picture of a coral reef

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The last such global event occurred from 2014 to 2017 - a period that, like this year, also featured the return of El Niño conditions, a natural climate cycle that can compound background warming from climate change, often boosting average air and sea temperatures.

Even with El Niño, the intensity of the marine heat waves, particularly off Florida, and their longevity came as a surprise, said Ian Enochs, a research ecologist at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

Heat-induced bleaching occurs as a stress response to abnormal conditions, triggering corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. That causes the colorful corals to turn an eerily "bleached" white hue.

Bleaching doesn't necessarily cause corals to die, but the process weakens reefs and makes the marine invertebrates more susceptible to disease.

Sea surface temperatures around the world have smashed records in recent months, with some of the biggest and most persistent temperature spikes having been recorded in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean basin. Over the summer, sea surface temperatures off Florida peaked over 90 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed elevated for weeks on end.

Part of Enochs' research has focused on Cheeca Rocks, a reef within the Florida Keys. For more than a decade, Enochs has been monitoring the site, collecting data to compile 3D models of changes to the reef over time. This year, he said, Cheeca Rocks experienced 100% bleaching, with not a single part of the reef left unaffected.

"I have never ever seen anything to this extent at Cheeca Rocks," he said. "We were experiencing heat stress levels that were double what we've ever experienced before at Cheeca Rocks. If that is not alarming in terms of the magnitude of this, I don't know what is."

Phanor Montoya-Maya, a marine biologist and restoration program manager at the Coral Restoration Foundation, a nonprofit ocean conservation organization, said marine heat waves were so intense this year that many corals didn't have a chance to adjust.

"On those occasions where the temperature went up so quickly, they didn't even have time to bleach. They were burned to death," Montoya-Maya said.

The Coral Restoration Foundation works to raise genetically diverse corals in nurseries and then plant them on reefs around the globe. The goal, Montoya-Maya said, is to increase live coral cover on reefs to build back populations and boost their resilience.

The situation in the Caribbean isn't yet as dire as it is off Florida. But, Manzello said, the bleaching event is still going on, and the full extent of this year's record warmth may not be clear for months to come. What is apparent, however, is that the long-term trends are cause for alarm.

"It's concerning because every time we've had a global bleaching event, they keep getting worse and worse," he said.

Still, amid such ecological devastation, Enochs said, there is reason for optimism.

"There's not much worse than the death of these important species, but at the same time, I have been truly surprised that we have not seen more destruction as of yet," he said. "There's been a whole bunch of mortality and death, but we have seen some recovery as water temperatures have dropped down. And that, to me, it means that in the face of all of this, there's still hope."

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Extreme ocean temperatures threaten to wipe out Caribbean coral

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Unusually warm waters in the Caribbean Sea are fueling what some scientists say is the region's worst episode of coral bleaching ever recorded - yet another worrisome development in what has been an off-the-charts year of warmth for the world's oceans.

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It's happened again: mass coral bleaching

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https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/why-are-coral-reefs-dying#:~:text=A%2070%2D90%20per%20cent,still%20take%20decades%20to%20stabilize.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877343513001905#:~:text=The%20implication%20from%20the%20scientific,acidic%20seawater%20and%20heavy%20exploitation.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coral-bleaching-and-how-we-can-stop-it#:~:text=Small%2C%20daily%20actions%20can%20help,we%20must%20address%20climate%20change.

https://reefresilience.org/stressors/bleaching/bleaching-impacts/#:~:text=Coral%20bleaching%20events%20that%20lead,supply%20and%20associated%20economic%20activities.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html#:~:text=WHAT%20CAUSES%20BLEACHING%3F,can%20bleach%20near%2Dshore%20corals.

https://www.aims.gov.au/research-topics/environmental-issues/coral-bleaching/coral-bleaching-events#:~:text=Mass%20bleaching%20events%20on%20the,bleaching%20events%20around%20those%20times.

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Scientists have discovered the deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching in the Indian Ocean, more than 90m below the surface.

This unprecedented evidence of bleaching at depths previously thought to be resilient to ocean warming reveals the severe levels of damage to coral reefs that play a crucial role in the ocean ecosystem.

The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that coral reefs situated more than 90m below the surface of the Indian Ocean have experienced severe damage, affecting up to 80 per cent of the reefs in certain areas.

Researchers from the University of Plymouth who carried out the study say this damage was due to a 30 per cent rise in sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean.

"This is a huge surprise," Dr Phil Hosegood, an associate professor in physical oceanography at the University of Plymouth and the lead researcher of the study said.

"Deeper corals had always been thought of as being resilient to ocean warming, but that is clearly not the case."

"Reefs at similar depths all over the world are likely at risk from similar climatic changes."

The researchers have been studying the Central Indian Ocean for well over a decade and employed a combination of underwater robots, and satellite-generated oceanographic data to study damages to the coral reef.

During a research cruise in November 2019, scientists say they observed the first signs of coral bleaching using remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with cameras.

While shallow water reefs exhibited no harm, deeper reefs were found bleaching, highlighting the stark contrast in their vulnerability.

The bleaching was caused by a deepening of the thermocline, a layer where temperature changes rapidly with depth, experts say. This deepening was linked to regional climate patterns, akin to an El Nino, which are being intensified by the worsening climate crisis.

"Due to climate change, these cycles of variability are becoming amplified. Bleaching in the deeper ocean here and elsewhere will likely become more regular," Clara Diaz, the lead author of the study, said.

While parts of the affected reef recovered between 2020 and 2022, scientists emphasise the urgency of increasing monitoring efforts in the deep ocean.

With damage to shallow water corals on the rise, mesophotic corals were expected to compensate by delivering essential ecosystem benefits. However, the findings challenge that assumption and reveal the vulnerability of deep-sea corals.

In the recent decades tropical Indian Ocean has experienced a rapid increase in ocean warming with an average rise in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of about 1C over the period of 1951-2015, according to the Indian government data.

This warming has been happening at a rate of 0.15C per decade.

Deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching found in Indian Ocean

Deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching found in Indian Ocean

The evidence of coral damage was observed during a research cruise in November 2019, during which scientists from the University of Plymouth were using remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with cameras to monitor the coral health below the ocean surface

University of Plymouth

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Deepest known evidence of coral reef bleaching found in Indian Ocean

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Deep corals, which were always thought to be more resilient to rising ocean temperatures, sustained heavy damages, researchers find