{"id":31271,"date":"2024-10-23T18:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=31271"},"modified":"2024-10-23T18:11:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:41:03","slug":"fourth-global-coral-bleaching-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-10-2024\/fourth-global-coral-bleaching-event","title":{"rendered":"Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Biodiversity and Conservation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the <strong>mass bleaching of coral reefs<\/strong> around the world since <strong>2023 is now the most extensive on record.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>77% of the world\u2019s coral reef areas<\/strong> \u2013 from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian oceans \u2013 have so far been subjected to <strong>bleaching-level heat stress.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The NOAA coral reef authority declared the global bleaching event in 2024, making it the <strong>fourth of its kind since 1998.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mass bleaching events<\/strong> on the Great Barrier Reef have been documented with full-scale surveys in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The previous record from the <strong>2014 to 2017 mass bleaching <\/strong>affected just <strong>below 66 percent of the world\u2019s reef area.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In coming months and years scientists will <strong>conduct underwater assessments<\/strong> of dead corals to help tally up the severity of the damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cecbcf\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"536\" height=\"603\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Fourth-Global-Coral-Bleaching-Event-jpg.webp\" alt=\"Fourth-Global-Coral-Bleaching-Event\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-31272\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cecbcf; width:462px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Fourth-Global-Coral-Bleaching-Event-jpg.webp 536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Fourth-Global-Coral-Bleaching-Event-267x300.webp 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 536px) 100vw, 536px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Corals?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Corals are <strong>invertebrates <\/strong>that belong to a large group of animals called <strong>Cnidaria<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Corals are formed by <strong>multiple small, soft organisms known as polyps.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They secrete a<strong> rocky chalk-like (calcium carbonate) exoskeleton<\/strong> around themselves for protection.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coral reefs<\/strong> are therefore created by <strong>millions of tiny polyps forming large carbonate structures.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Appearance: <\/strong>Corals range in colour from <strong>red to purple and even blue,<\/strong> but are most commonly shades of<strong> brown and green.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coral are bright and colorful because of microscopic algae called <strong>zooxanthellae<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>There are three types of coral reefs \u2013<\/strong> fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fringing reefs <strong>form along shorelines, barrier reefs form in open water <\/strong>and <strong>atolls are circular reefs <\/strong>that have formed around <strong>sunken volcanoes.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong> They provide food, shelter, resting and breeding grounds to a quarter of all marine life, acting as nurseries and refuges to protect critical biodiversity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They also support more than 1 billion people living in coastal regions around the world by providing food, livelihoods and recreation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Coral Bleaching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coral bleaching occurs when<strong> corals expel the colourful algae<\/strong> living in their tissues.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Without these helpful algae, the<strong> corals become pale<\/strong> and are vulnerable to <strong>starvation and disease.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A bleached coral is not dead, but<strong> ocean temperatures need to cool off for any hope of recovery.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At least 1<strong>4% of the world\u2019s <\/strong>remaining corals were estimated to have died in the previous two global bleaching events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientists had previously projected that coral reefs would cross a <strong>tipping point at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) of global warming<\/strong>, whereby up to<strong> 90% of reefs <\/strong>would be lost.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The latest record bleaching <strong>adds to growing evidence that reefs have already passed a point of no return at just 1.3 C (2.3 F) of warming.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What triggers Coral Bleaching?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The leading cause of coral bleaching is <strong>climate change.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A warming planet means a warming ocean, and a change in water temperature\u2014as little as <strong>2 degrees Fahrenheit<\/strong>\u2014can cause coral to drive out algae.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coral also bleaches for other reasons, like <strong>extremely low tides, pollution, or too much sunlight.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ongoing bleaching has been made worse by <strong>El Nino,<\/strong> a natural climate pattern that can temporarily warm some oceans, which ended in May.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coral bleaching matters because once these<strong> corals die, reefs rarely come back.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With few corals surviving, they<strong> struggle to reproduce<\/strong>, and entire reef ecosystems, on which people and wildlife depend, <strong>deteriorate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This would have dire implications for<strong> ocean health, subsistence fisheries and tourism.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of Coral Bleaching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wildlife:<\/strong> Thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coral reefs <strong>provide shelter, spawning grounds, and protection<\/strong> from predators.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They also support organisms at the <strong>base of ocean food chains.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As reef ecosystems collapse, already <strong>at-risk species may face extinction.<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Humans: <\/strong>Coral reefs are natural barriers that absorb the force of waves and storm surges, keeping <strong>coastal communities safe.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Every year, reefs provide about $2.7 trillion in goods and services, according to a 2020 estimate by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bleached coral also <strong>compounds the<\/strong> <strong>overfishing crisis<\/strong> by removing links in the food web and depriving some fish of a place to spawn and develop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reef tourism <\/strong>brings in billions of dollars each year and supports thousands of jobs.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Can corals recover from bleaching?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Corals can recover from bleaching over time, but<strong> only if temperatures drop and conditions return to normal.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When this happens, the <strong>algae returns<\/strong> and the corals gradually regain their health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c8d2ca\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/corals-jpg.webp\" alt=\"corals\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-31273\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c8d2ca; width:448px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/corals-jpg.webp 576w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/10\/corals-292x300.webp 292w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthening Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementing coral restoration techniques<\/strong>, such as coral gardening and breeding resilient coral species, to enhance recovery after bleaching events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advocating for global<strong> efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> to limit temperature increases and ocean acidification.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increasing investment in research<\/strong> to better understand coral resilience, bleaching triggers, and recovery processes, alongside developing advanced monitoring technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/global-coral-bleaching-event-expands-now-the-largest-on-record\/article68767949.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world since 2023 is now the most extensive on record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31271"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31279,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31271\/revisions\/31279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}