Bleaching has damaged the world’s northernmost coral reef in Japan, a researcher said Tuesday, the latest example of a global phenomenon scientists have attributed to high ocean temperatures. Healthy coral reefs protect shores from storms and offer habitats for fish and other marine life, including ecologically and economically important species. After coral dies, reefs quickly … Read more
Coral reef bleaching may be easing after three years of high ocean temperatures, the longest such period since the 1980s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday. Its experts said satellite data and other analysis showed widespread bleaching was no longer occurring in all three ocean basins — Atlantic, Pacific and Indian — … Read more
Unprecedented coral bleaching in consecutive years has damaged two-thirds of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, aerial surveys have shown. The bleaching – or loss of algae – affects a 1,500km (900 miles) stretch of the reef, according to scientists. The latest damage is concentrated in the middle section, whereas last year’s bleaching hit mainly the north. … Read more
Coral bleached for two consecutive years at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has “zero prospect” of recovery, scientists warned Monday, as they confirmed the site has again been hit by warming sea temperatures. Researchers said last month they were detecting another round of mass bleaching this year after a severe event in 2016, and their fears … Read more
A spike in water temperature lasting only days bleached all the coral in a South China Sea atoll, and killed 40 percent of the tiny organisms within weeks, researchers reported Thursday. The six degree Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) surge at Dongsha Atoll in June 2015 was produced by a perfect storm of factors: the time … Read more
Low-oxygen areas of the ocean known as dead zones threaten hundreds of coral reefs worldwide, fragile ecosystems already struggling because of climate change and pollution, researchers said Monday. Although dead zones are not typically considered top killers of coral reefs, they may be far more common than previously thought, according to a study in the … Read more
Ghana’s tourism sector is expected to rake in more foreign exchange following the discovery of Coral Reefs in its marine waters. Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems, similar to a forest reserve which serves as a habitat for different aquatic species. Coral reefs represent unique habitats with high biodiversity, and are believed to be important … Read more
A British-owned cruise ship has smashed into pristine coral reefs, causing extensive damage in a remote corner of Indonesia known as one of the world’s most biodiverse marine habitats, researchers and officials said Tuesday. Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia has long been a top attraction for intrepid travellers and avid divers, home to palm-fringed islands … Read more