The mesmerizing beauty of the coral reefs round the globe is under threat as El Nino is swiftly bleaching the corals. According to the data of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the El Nino is setting new records in terms of warmth and the coral reef regions are facing prolonged warming above the normal summer temperatures.
After facing the two global coral bleaching event in 1997-98 and 2010, the world is on the verge of facing the third one. Many fears that if global bleaching event will continue to occur at such a frequent rate then by the middle of this century about 85% coral reefs will vanish from the surface of the earth.
Scientists have reported that due to rise in the temperature of ocean waters, corals are shedding off the algae that lives in their tissue and gives them light and energy thereby resulting in coral bleaching. Corals after expelling the algae expose their skeletons and become prone to disease, pollution and other risks.
The NOAA highlighted this bleaching event in late 2015 and also warned that this process will continue till 2017, making it one of the longest such event on record.
The NOAA coral scientists said that the reefs of Caribbean and Florida keys that bleached in 2015 are showing signs of recovery but dangerous spike in ocean temperature have permanently harmed many of them.
