RTE 1 / 5 The bleaching of coral reefs around the world is already the biggest threat to coral reefs, but the impact could be even greater if we don’t act now.
This is the third in a series of articles looking at what can be done to stop the bleaching and what will be needed to help protect the planet from a coral-killing event.
1 / 6 The ocean’s future depends on the ocean 2 / 6 A few of the world’s oceans are facing the most serious threat from climate change.
3 / 6 As we head into the most dangerous time in ocean history, the oceans need to be protected from climate-induced changes.
4 / 6 Coral reefs are important for biodiversity, but if we’re not careful, we could be losing them to climate change, writes Professor Robert Cripps.
5 / 6 Marine Protected Areas are critical to our oceans, but it’s time to take action, warns the former marine scientist.
6 / 6 Here are 10 things you need to know about coral bleaches, which could spell disaster for oceans and humans.
1.
Coral bleaching is already taking a huge toll on reefs around our world 2 / 5 This is why the coral bleached areas around the globe are already the most significant threat to reefs.
The effects of global warming have already led to coral bleachers bleaching more than half of the corals they inhabit.
But bleaching in the oceans is a far more global issue than coral bleacher bleaching.
It affects all species of coral, not just corals that live on the seafloor.
3.
The bleached coral is now the most important threat to marine life in the world 4 / 5 There’s a huge difference between bleaching coral and the coral reefs that are being bleached.
The corals on the reef are actually in the same area as the bleached corals.
So bleaching corals aren’t even directly harming coral, they’re just changing the ecosystem.
In other words, coral bleach is a consequence of the global warming that’s happening around us. 5.
Coral reefs rely on coral for their very survival 5 / 5 Coral reefs have already been bleached by global warming.
And we’re still seeing a huge amount of damage from it.
The damage caused by global bleaching on corals has already killed some species and threatened others, such as bluefin tuna.
The impact on coralline algae is also huge.
6.
If we’re going to save coral reefs in the future, we need to start now, writes professor Robert C. Crippens.
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