Storyline
Harmful bleaching of the world’s coral has grown to include 84% of the ocean’s reefs in the most intense event of its kind in recorded history, the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) announced in April.
It’s the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and has now surpassed bleaching from 2014-17 that hit some two-thirds of reefs, said the ICRI, a mix of more than 100 governments, non-governmental organizations and others. And it’s not clear when the current crisis, which began in 2023 and is blamed on warming oceans, will end.
“We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,” said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society.
Last year was Earth’s hottest year on record, and much of that is going into the oceans.
That’s deadly to corals, which are key to seafood production, tourism and protecting coastlines from erosion and storms. Coral reefs are sometimes dubbed “rainforests of the sea” because they support high levels of biodiversity—approximately 25% of all marine species can be found in, on and around coral reefs.
Corals get their bright colors from the colorful algae that live inside them and are a food source for the corals. Prolonged warmth causes the algae to release toxic compounds, and the coral ejects them. A stark white skeleton is left behind, and the weakened coral is at heightened risk of dying.
The bleaching event has been so severe that NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program has had to add levels to its bleaching alert scale to account for the growing risk of coral death.
Efforts are underway to conserve and restore coral but scientists say it’s essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane.
“The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels … everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution,” Eakin said.
This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.
Script
[Coral nursery]
[Coral being cut to be transplanted]
Melanie McField (interview): “This latest report that’s, you know, compiled from around the globe and showing that 84% of the coral reefs have been affected by this bleaching event is just unparalleled, you know? Each mass bleaching event has gotten worse and I think it will continue to do so.”
[Water tanks with coral at the Keys Marine Lab]
[Coral inside water tanks]
[Volunteer holding coral]
Melanie McField (interview): “We’ve just reached 1.5 degrees (Celsius) in the ocean and you see the repercussions in this 2023-2024 bleaching event and it’s unprecedented. And that’s what 1.5… if that’s what 1.5 looks like, you know, and we’re not even gonna make 2 degrees (Celsius) at the current trajectories. It’s very alarming, so I think people really need to recognize what they’re doing, you know, by the inaction. It’s the kiss of death for coral reefs.”
[Diver constructing structure for coral nursery]
[Fish next to coral nursery]
Melanie McField (interview): “Coral reefs aren’t gonna last 50 years at the rate we’re going. They’re not gonna make it anywhere close to 50 years into the future.”
[Volunteer taking coral tray out of water]
[Cleaning coral card]
[Water composition measurement]
[Volunteers placing coral in water tanks]
Mark Eakin (interview): “We’re seeing forecasts that temperatures are going to continue to stay high. There’s no reason that they will be dropping down. So there’s no indication that cooling will be going on. And so with all of that we’re looking at just continuing this heat stress out. That heat stress is what causes corals to bleach and if it continues long enough or is severe enough, causes corals to die.”
[Remoora Pontoon above Moore Reef]
[Sea turtle amongst coral]
[Coral at various stages of decay]
Mark Eakin (interview): “We just may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global (bleaching) event. So this may be the last one.”
[Fish swimming in a reef where corals have lost their colors due to bleaching]
Mark Eakin (interview): “We’re looking at something that’s completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods.”
[Coral reef impacted by bleaching]
Mark Eakin (interview): “The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change and that means reducing the emissions, the human emissions, that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels, also from production of cement and other things. But that’s the biggest part. Everything else is looking more like a band-aid rather than a solution.”
[Gen. James Gavin Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.