Coral Bleaching By: Stephanie Dull What is Coral? Figure 1. Structure of Coral (Helgason, 2017). Corals are colonial animals. They are made up of hundreds of tiny animals called polyps which bud and divide asexually into identical clones” (Helgason, 2017). There are photosynthetic marine algae called zooxanthellae that live in a symbiotic relationship with the coral. The zooxanthellae use the coral for protections, in exchange, through photosynthesis, they produce the energy the coral needs to build its skeleton (Helgason, 2017). The zooanthellae are also what gives the coral its vibrant colors. Why is Coral Important? Figure 2. Sea turtle in a coral garden in the Spratly Islands (Asner, 2017). Figure 3. Man Fishing (Day, 2018). Coral reefs harbor more than one quarter of the ocean's biodiversity. The reefs provide a high level of diversity within species. Provides natural resources such as food and drugs, social, recreational, and cultural activities. Coral reefs support local jobs and tourism. Provides services that the environment depends, on such as the natural break down of pollutants, the creation of soil, and the recycling and purification of water and air. Many countries also depend on the reefs for food as well as their livelihoods, through fishing. “An estimated 30 million small-scale fisherman and women depend on reefs for their livelihoods, more than one million in the Philippines alone” (Innis, 2016). What is Coral Bleaching? Figure 4. An Agaricia coral colony shown 1) bleached and 2) almost recovered from a bleaching event (NOAA, 2017). Coral bleaching is a general response to stress, by the coral. The Agency for Marine Research and Development (ARVAM) defines coral bleaching as “a process whereby the coral colonies lose their colour, either due to the loss of pigments by microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in symbiosis with their host organisms (polyps), or because these zooxanthellae have been expelled” (Quod & Charpy, 2008). Coral can sometimes recover from bleaching if it is not severe, but if they continue to be stressed, or there are back to back bleaching events, they are subject to mortality. What is Coral Bleaching? Figure 5. Coral Bleaching (NOAA, 2010). Causes of Coral Bleaching The pollutants runoff the land in the form of nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants. These pollutants “smother coral reefs; accelerate the growth of damaging algae; lower water quality; and make corals more susceptible to disease” (NOAA, 2017). Most of the coral bleaching events thus far have been shown to be caused by increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming. Recreational boats damage reefs, and snorkelers and divers tend to accidently break coral “Destructive fishing methods like dynamite, gill nets and beach seines are highly unsustainable because they typically do not target particular fish species and often result in juveniles being killed in the pro.

1. Coral Bleaching
By: Stephanie Dull
What is Coral?
Figure 1. Structure of Coral (Helgason, 2017).
Corals are colonial animals. They are made up of hundreds of
tiny animals called polyps which bud and divide asexually into
identical clones” (Helgason, 2017).
There are photosynthetic marine algae called zooxanthellae that
live in a symbiotic relationship with the coral. The
zooxanthellae use the coral for protections, in exchange,
through photosynthesis, they produce the energy the coral needs
to build its skeleton (Helgason, 2017).
The zooanthellae are also what gives the coral its vibrant colors.

2. Why is Coral Important?
Figure 2. Sea turtle in a coral garden in the Spratly Islands
(Asner, 2017).
Figure 3. Man Fishing (Day, 2018).
Coral reefs harbor more than one quarter of the ocean's
biodiversity. The reefs provide a high level of diversity within
species.
Provides natural resources such as food and drugs, social,
recreational, and cultural activities. Coral reefs support local
jobs and tourism.
Provides services that the environment depends, on such as the
natural break down of pollutants, the creation of soil, and the
recycling and purification of water and air.
Many countries also depend on the reefs for food as well as
their livelihoods, through fishing. “An estimated 30 million
small-scale fisherman and women depend on reefs for their
livelihoods, more than one million in the Philippines alone”
(Innis, 2016).

3. What is Coral Bleaching?
Figure 4. An Agaricia coral colony shown 1) bleached and 2)
almost recovered from a bleaching event (NOAA, 2017).
Coral bleaching is a general response to stress, by the coral.
The Agency for Marine Research and Development (ARVAM)
defines coral bleaching as “a process whereby the coral colonies
lose their colour, either due to the loss of pigments by
microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in symbiosis with their
host organisms (polyps), or because these zooxanthellae have
been expelled” (Quod & Charpy, 2008).
Coral can sometimes recover from bleaching if it is not severe,
but if they continue to be stressed, or there are back to back
bleaching events, they are subject to mortality.
What is Coral Bleaching?
Figure 5. Coral Bleaching (NOAA, 2010).

4. Causes of Coral Bleaching
The pollutants runoff the land in the form of nutrients,
sediments, and other pollutants. These pollutants “smother coral
reefs; accelerate the growth of damaging algae; lower water
quality; and make corals more susceptible to disease” (NOAA,
2017).
Most of the coral bleaching events thus far have been shown to
be caused by increasing ocean temperatures due to global
warming.
Recreational boats damage reefs, and snorkelers and divers tend
to accidently break coral
“Destructive fishing methods like dynamite, gill nets and beach
seines are highly unsustainable because they typically do not
target particular fish species and often result in juveniles being
killed in the process” ("Overfishing and Destructive Fishing
Threats", 2018). Explosives shatter coral and kills tissues on
nearby coral colonies, destroying large sections of reef
Increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming.
Pollution
Tourism
Destructive fishing practices and Overfishing

5. Causes of Coral Bleaching
Figure 7. Damaged coral and fish due to blast fishing (NOAA,
2017).
Figure 8. Tourist damaging coral (NOAA, 2017).
Tourism
Figure 6. Abandoned fishing nets on a reef (Shea, 2014).
Destructive fishing practices
Causes of Coral Bleaching
Figure 9. Threats to Coral Reefs: Land-Based Sources of
Pollution (NOAA, 2017)
Where is this Happening?

6. Figure 10. Regions where major coral reef bleaching events
have taken place during the past 15 years .Yellow spots indicate
major bleaching events (Buchheim, 2013)
“Damaged or dying reefs have been found from Réunion, off the
coast of Madagascar, to East Flores, Indonesia, and from Guam
and Hawaii in the Pacific to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic”
(Innis, 2016)
In 2016, Meaghan Johnson, a marine scientist at the Nature
Conservancy said that the reefs in the Florida Keys were going
into their third year straight of bleaching which had never
happened before (Innis, 2016).
The scale and frequency of these bleaching events has been
dramatically increasing since the 1970s.
What about South Florida?
Widespread mortality of coral has been found in Miami-Dade
and Broward counties, and in 2016 scientists witnessed a coral

7. colony collapse off the coast of Hollywood as well (Flesher,
2016).
There has also been reports of coral bleaching as far up the
South Florida coast as Palm Beach County, although those reefs
tend to be mostly spared due the fact that they are deeper and
closer to the gulf stream. (Flesher, 2016).
Florida’s southeast reefs are one of the region’s major tourist
attractions, providing recreational areas for fishing, diving, and
snorkeling.
Proposed
Solution
s
1. Create marine protected areas

8. 2. Create a reef watch program
3. Educate and promote local businesses
4. Create partnerships with the NOAA