Coral Reef Bleaching

 Coral reef bleaching occurs mostly when a coral is put under some sort of stress and it releases its zooxanthellae as a way to cope with that stress. Zooxanthellae are flagellate protozoa that live in coral reefs. Coral reefs are actually clear, not pigmented. These different colors come from the zooxanthellae that live within the coral. When the coral expels the zooxanthellae living within it, it loses its pigmentation, leaving it translucent. If the bleaching of a coral due to stress is not too severe, the coral host may regain its zooxanthellae within several weeks. The more severe the bleaching is, the longer it takes for the symbiotic relationship between the coral host and the zooxanthellae to recover. If the stress continues and becomes more severe, the bleaching continues to occur and the coral host will eventually die.

            The cause of this bleaching is related to the stress that the coral endures from different types of disturbances. These disturbances include anthropogenic effects and natural effects. Some anthropogenic effects are overexploitation, overfishing, increased sedimentation, nutrient overloading, pollution, tourism, and coastal development. Some natural effects include violent storms, floods, temperature extremes, El Niño, global warming, climate change, and increased UV radiation due to ozone depletion.

            One solution to this problem would be to educate the public on what coral bleaching is and its causes and effects on the marine environment. A second solution would be to have the government pass laws banning the use of chlorofluorocarbon gases in order to slow down the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. Another solution would be to have Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). An MPA is any marine environment that is protected by the government through laws or regulations. These laws protect everything within that marine area from resources to historical items. Another solution is to control the human use of coral reefs and to monitor these ecosystems. One last solution is to restore damaged reefs and their environments.