An unprecedented coral bleaching crisis is gripping the planet, with approximately 84 percent of the world's coral reefs now bleached and in danger, marking the most widespread event ever recorded, according to CBS News.
This current bleaching event has exceeded the previous episode from 2014 to 2017, which affected approximately two-thirds of the reefs, and is now the most severe of its kind in history.
Rising ocean temperatures cause corals to expel symbiotic algae known as zooxanthellae, which provide them with essential nutrients and oxygen for photosynthesis. This leads to a stark white skeleton and heightened risk of death, as corals become more vulnerable to diseases without these algae.
Last year was the hottest recorded on Earth, with heating of the oceans contributing to the ongoing coral bleaching crisis.
"This is the fourth coral bleaching event since 1998, attributed to the highest recorded ocean temperatures linked to global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, affecting the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans," reported CBS News.
At the beginning of last year, researchers warned that coral reefs worldwide were facing a fourth mass bleaching event, prompting NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program to add new levels to its bleaching alert scale to reflect the increased risk of coral death.
The average annual sea surface temperature in the oceans away from the poles reached a record high of 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit).
It is highly uncertain when the current coral bleaching crisis will come to an end.
Coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species and support high levels of biodiversity, providing food and protection to over one billion people. They are sometimes called the rainforests of the sea due to their diversity, with approximately 25% of all marine species found in, on, and around them.
According to the International Coral Reef Initiative, the current global coral bleaching event, which began in January 2023, is the largest and most intense in history, marking the fourth occurrence since 1998.
Mark Eakin, Executive Secretary of the International Coral Reef Society and former head of coral monitoring at NOAA, expressed: "We are witnessing a change that is transforming the planet's face and threatening the ocean's ability to sustain life and livelihoods."
Eakin also stated: "The best way to protect coral reefs is to do something about the causes of climate change. That means reducing the human emissions that mostly come from burning fossil fuels... everything else is like putting on a band-aid."
"I think people really need to recognize what they're doing—inaction is the kiss of death for coral reefs," stated Melanie McField, one of the leaders of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. She emphasized that without active efforts to reduce climate emissions, it means death for the coral reefs.
Since January 2023, thermal stress related to bleaching has affected 83.7% of the world's coral reefs, with reefs in at least 82 countries exposed to heat sufficient to cause bleaching.
Other projects, such as one being conducted off Florida, have worked to rescue corals endangered by extreme heat and care for them until they regain health before returning them to the ocean.
Scientists emphasize that it is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane.
"Bleaching is spreading," explained Derek Manzello, the director of Coral Reef Watch, noting that many reef areas, including thermal refuges like Raja Ampat in Indonesia and the Gulf of Eilat, have been affected by increased ocean temperatures, indicating that there is no longer a safe refuge from coral bleaching and its consequences.
Scientists warn that if urgent measures are not taken to combat climate change and protect coral reefs, we risk losing these unique ecosystems and all associated biodiversity, with experts from the IPCC asserting that all of the planet's corals could disappear within ten years.
"We know that coral bleaching is accelerating with ocean warming caused by the world's dependence on fossil fuels. As an island nation, we see our reefs damaged and our livelihoods threatened. We urgently need to end the fossil fuel era. Our oceans and the communities that depend on them cannot wait," stated Surangel Whipps Jr., the president of the Republic of Palau.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.