What Is Coral Bleaching?
There was an unprecedented three years of global coral bleaching between the years 2014 and 2017. The way the land needs trees, the ocean needs coral reefs.
Individual corals are referred to as polyps and survive on the calcium carbonate exoskeletons of previous polyps. After some time the coral polyp will be used to sustain another polyp. This causes coral reefs to slowly grow as each polyp becomes part of the exoskeletons, leaving us with massive coral reefs.
Coral reefs are incredibly important as they provide a wide range of services to the ocean, including protection from storms and waves and creating a habitat for some fish species.
Coral reefs are threatened by a collection of threats like global warming, pollution, and overfishing, but coral bleaching has also been a matter of concern recently.
So, keep reading to find out what is coral bleaching and how this happens.
What Is Coral Bleaching?
Simply put, when corals are stressed by changes in their environment, such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they can expel the algae living in them, which causes them to turn white. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with the algae, where the algae and the corals depend on each other to survive. By expelling the algae, the corals are basically starving themselves.
Global-scare coral bleaching is usually associated with El Niño events which usually leads to a rise in the global temperature. This phenomenon was first observed in 1983 and again in 1998.
The mass coral bleaching event of 2014-2017 was strange not only because it lasted so long but also because it wasn’t entirely due to an El Niño event. There was an anticipated El Niño that should have come into effect in 2014 but only materialized in March 2015. By the time the El Niño event was present, bleaching-level heat stress was already underway.
The three-year heatwave and global bleaching affected more than half the world’s coral reefs, and many reefs didn’t survive.
Coral bleaching isn’t limited to the ocean. Tank coral can also undergo bleaching if they are stressed or not in their preferred environment. For example, the ORA Blue Polyp Montipora Capricornis is happiest with:
- a middle-top tank placement
- medium-high lighting
- moderate-strong water flow
Can Corals Recover From Bleaching?
Luckily coral reefs can recover from bleaching, but if the bleaching persists, then the coral will starve. For a coral to recover, the temperature has to return to normal, and the ocean conditions have to regulate.
Understanding Coral Bleaching
It is important to not only know what is coral bleaching but also understand how exactly this phenomenon occurs. If you’re thinking of adding coral to your tank, you need to know how to properly care for them. Otherwise, you’ll end up with bleached coral.
If you enjoyed this article about coral bleaching, go take a look at our blog for more content you might like!
