Part of the reason that I have fallen so behind on writing and researching is because I went on holiday to Belize. I stayed in San Pedro – that’s right, Madonna’s La Isla Bonita! – and it was the most beautiful piece of paradise that I have ever seen. I snorkelled for the first time while there, and experienced the wondrous world under the sea. This spawned new questions. Today’s question is: what is coral bleaching?
A:
Coral bleaching is the whitening of corals due to stress. The skeletal structure of corals are white, but are usually covered with tiny plants called zooxanthellae algae, which provides colouration. The algae are photosynthetic and provide nutrients to the coral’s soft tissue.
If rate of photosynthetic production is too high, the coral will begin to expel some of the algae on its own, this is still considered bleaching. However, when corals experience stress on their environment, more zooxanthellae is expelled than normal, exposing the skeletal structure. Coral reefs can recover from bleaching, however it can take months to build up the same amount of algae and sometimes there is no recovery and whole reefs die off.
There are a number of triggers including: increased water temperatures, increased UV rays, changes in ocean current, increased sedimentation and low tide/wind exposure.
Thankfully, the reef in Belize has been well preserved and has not experienced extensive bleaching. Belize is very eco-friendly and provide all tourists with precise instruction on how to ensure that their reefs and marine life stay healthy.
Sources:
About.com: Coral Bleaching
Wikipedia: Coral Bleaching
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