Rising ocean temperatures are leading to a harmful phenomenom called "coral bleaching."
Coral bleaching occurs in warm waters, it causes the coral to expel algae and turn completely white, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported. Corals can survive bleaching, but it puts them under more stress and at a higher risk of mortality.
The bleaching is especially severe along the windward coastline of Oahu, Hawaii, The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DAR) reported.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing evidence of wide-spread bleaching in shallow, near shore waters of windward Oahu," said Frazer McGilvray, DAR administrator. "Coral bleaching is a stress response due to warmer ocean temperatures. Corals lose the color from their tissue, turning them snow white."
Over the past few weeks the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program has continued high coral bleaching alerts for waters around the Hawaiian archipelago based on higher than normal sea surface temperatures (SSTs).
"Corals can recover from bleaching if temperatures return to a normal range, but it can take many weeks to many years for them to fully recover from a bleaching event. Unfortunately, temperature forecasts suggest that the risk of bleaching will increase over the next several weeks. It is important that we continue to monitor the extent and severity of this bleaching event. It's also critical that ocean users avoid disturbing corals at any time to avoid additional stress on them," said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Chai.
Ocean users and Eyes of the Reef Network released a report that prompted an investigation from the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) Coral Rapid Response Team. The team has been conducting in-water surveys to assess the extent of the problem. Ocean users are encouraged to report coral bleaching through the Eyes of the Reef Network.
