Research findings have announced that corals are facing ‘extinction’ as a result of extensive bleaching that occurred last year due to climate change.
According to Newsweek, the American current affairs magazine, on the 9th (local time), researchers from the Global Coral Alliance published related research results in the Oxford Open Climate Change Journal. The main point is that corals around the world experienced a serious blowout last year, and changes in ocean circulation caused by climate change had a definite impact.
endangered coral
Bleaching occurs when corals reveal their white skeleton and the algae that give corals color and energy die. It is also known as the ‘bleeding phenomenon’ because the color seems to fade to white. The main cause of coral bleaching is an increase in water temperature.
The researchers said, “Corals, one of the most sensitive organisms in all ecosystems, have begun to bleed and die as a result of high temperatures since the 1980s,” and while they accept that bleaching is not just a recent problem, they said, “A rise in global temperatures in 2023 will threaten coral reefs” “It made it even more dangerous, ” he said.
Researchers examined the status of corals in oceans around the world using sea temperature data collected through satellite observations, and found that 2023 will be the worst year in the Northern Hemisphere with the largest number of coral bleaching events on record. In particular, severe bleeding occurred in the Caribbean, the eastern and western coasts of Mexico, Central America, Kiribati, Fiji, and eastern New Guinea. “Almost complete bleaching and significant coral mortality” were reported in the area, the researchers said.
After analyzing satellite sea level data, it was determined that this was due to changes in ocean currents due to rising sea temperatures. As a result of climate change, the speed at which warm water moves from tropical to cold regions has accelerated, which keeps tropical regions cool but generates excess heat in polar regions. Coral, a highly sensitive organism, suffered a fatal blow from this change and eventually became extinct.
Newsweek said this possibility is very worrying because coral reefs play a very important role in the ecosystem. Corals provide habitat for aquatic life and protect coastlines from storms.
Economic damage is also expected in some regions. This is because in many areas, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, landscapes created by coral are a major tourist resource. The Great Barrier Reef suffered its worst bleaching event between 2016 and 2017, bleaching 91% of the coral reefs and causing significant damage to the tourism industry in the area.
Reporter Seo Pil-woong [email protected]
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