Warmer-than-normal Ocean Temperatures could lead to Hawaii’s Worst Coral bleaching ever
Ocean temperatures are rising rapidly due to climate change and making scientists think seriously about global warming. According to scientists, ocean temperatures around Hawaii are warmer than normal this year and it could result into worst coral bleaching the US State has ever seen.
Ruth Gates, the director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, said the warmer ocean temperature around Hawaii is making things difficult for the island. Several corals have been recovering from coral bleaching in 2014. Coral bleaching occurs when warm water of oceans prompt coral to expel algae, Gates added. During the phenomenon of bleaching, coral push out algae and lose their color, according to Gates.
About two decades ago and last year, Hawaii had experienced a mass bleaching event. Chris Brenchley, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said Hawaii's ocean temperatures are more than three degrees Fahrenheit warmer this year than normal temperatures.
The event of bleaching is harmful for coral as it makes them more vulnerable to disease. It further harms fish and other species that depend highly on coral. If it happens, it will affect Hawaii's tourism-dependent economy.
Gates has compared dead coral reef to a place laid to rubble. According to Gates, "You go from a vibrant, three-dimensional structure teeming with life, teeming with color, to a flat pavement that's covered with brown or green algae. That is a really doom-and-gloom outcome but that is the reality that we face with extremely severe bleaching events".
