Coral BleachingHealthy coral gets its colouration from the algae (zooxanthellae) living inside the c

Coral BleachingHealthy coral gets its colouration from the algae (zooxanthellae) living inside the coral’s pores. Coral bleaching occurs under stressful environments such as temperature change, pollution, overexposure to sunlight, low tides, etc. When the environment becomes too stressful the coral expels the algae from its pores, causing the coral to turn completely white. Luckily this is not a death sentence, the coral can “take a break” from the stress and then recover its algae once environments become more suitable. However, if the stressful environment persists and the algae are absent for too long, the coral can die. When the coral dies the ecosystem dies with it, resulting in a loss of habitat and a loss of organisms.Coral bleaching is a big problem in the shores of the U.S.A., the Caribbean, and Australia. Climate change researchers fear that the weather pattern shifts caused by El Nino may pose an even bigger threat to coral reefs in the upcoming years.~RosieReferences: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.htmlhttp://bit.ly/1ZqaSWwInfographic: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.htmlCoral Image: New Heaven Diving School: http://bit.ly/1OrDPOm3rd global coral bleaching event underway:http://tmblr.co/Zyv2Js1wKqgPo -- source link

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