The federal scientists inform, that the coral reef off southern Florida is undergoing an unparalleled and potentially fatal level of bleaching this summer due to rise in ocean temperature instigated by climate change.
In a telephone news conference, scientists from the Atmospheric Administration and National Oceanic said that twice the amount of heat stress is experienced in some areas around the Florida Keys that has caused corals to die at an alarming rate and likely to impact the Caribbean in the near future. A global bleaching occurrence could be just around the corner.
A research ecologist at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory informs the worries and concerns, and are tense with the situation as it’s not a normal event to occur.
Scientists inform that they are unable to assess the extent of the damage till early next year. Off the Florida coast ocean surface temperatures have increased to an excess of 90ºFahrenheit (32ºC) this summer.
Worlds third largest coral reef ranging about 350 miles (563 kilometers) from the Gulf of Mexico to St Lucia Inlet, and the ecosystem hosts a colossal number of marine life species, support tourism and protect against erosion. These reefs contain tiny organisms that are linked together, giving the vivid colour that are seen in corals, and also food for the corals. As the temperature increases, the algae are ejected from the coral, giving a white and bleached effect. Although this does not mean that the corals are dead but are more vulnerable to disease and starvation.
There are already signs of costal bleaching along Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Panama and El Salvador, as well as the Atlantic coasts of Cuba, Brazil, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Due to rise in water temperature sharks have vanished off the coast of Oaxaca.
Coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program Derek Manzello said that this is just the start of a global disaster, as the scale of the event is very alarming. Due to heat stress, thousands upon thousands of miles of coral reefs are suffering from bleaching. He said a significant change in the weather patterns are required to stop the march towards heat stress in the Caribbean, which is estimated to reach in a matter of days or weeks.
An ecological collapse is a possibility of the reef system, scientists are optimistic that restoration efforts can help avoid it from happening.
