Coral Reefs: How Rising Ocean Temps Cause Bleaching

How are rising ocean temperatures impacting coral reefs? This video explains how coral that face heat stress will often expel the algae zooxanthellae in a process called bleaching. This algae is responsible for coral’s distinctive color. Without zooxanthellae, corals struggle to survive, and prolonged periods of bleaching can even lead to the coral’s death. This can create negative effects in ecosystems where corals act as a habitat or as a shoreline barrier, leading to a loss in essential biodiversity. Scientists are currently researching heat- and disease-resistant corals to combat this!