Coral Reefs: Once Bleached Twice Shy; Thrice Bleached Too Late It Died
Coral Reefs: Once Bleached Twice Shy; Thrice Bleached Too Late It Died
The Great Barrier Reef's "obituary" at the end of 2016 caused an uproar among social media users and ocean scientists. Even though it was later proven that the reef was not actually dead, it certainly is on its last few breaths. Is Asia's coral reefs in danger too?
Written By: Micaela Leong
Somewhere Across the Sea
What comes to mind when the word "ocean" is mentioned? Do you have childhood memories of cool waters gently lapping at your feet, or the crash of waves breaking against the shore? Have you seen water so clear, that you could see schools of fishes on the pearly white seabed? Do you remember jumping into the salty water with reckless abandon, swimming in the sparkling, shimmering, dark blue sea? Whatever you think of, it is agreed that the sea is a thing of beauty - but do you think the ocean is the still the same?
Near the end of 2016, news spread like wildfire across social media, that the entire Great Barrier Reef had died. The news arose as Outside Magazine published an “obituary”, covering a mass coral bleaching event. However, it was a hasty generalisation: only 20% of the corals were officially dead, and 90% of the remaining were bleached. Even though the alarming news was put to rest, it still highlighted the undeniable reality of the world's coral reefs: they are dying.
The myriad of colours of the reefs are not of their own doing. Instead, their vibrant hues come from algae growing on the coral structures. The two organisms have a mutualistic relationship, like roommates: one provides housing and the other provides food. Coral acts as a protected environment for the algae to live in, and provides compounds for its food production. In return, the algae photosynthesises and provides nutrients and oxygen for the coral to survive. Their relationship has stood the test of time for more than 200 million years, but the sharp increase in of carbon dioxide emissions has been threatening their livelihood.
As carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere, it acts like a blanket that traps heat energy we generate, and heat energy from the sun. With nowhere to go, heat is absorbed into the seas, raising its temperature. When the algae is stressed out by hot waters, they are expelled from the coral colony, leaving behind the bony, skeleton-white structure of the coral, hence the term coral bleaching. At this point, the coral is not dead - yet.
The process is reversible if conditions stabilise and corals have the chance to recover. However, if the coral cannot reabsorb the algae, it has reached its end. To add oil to the fire, carbon dioxide causes greater trouble, when it dissolves into the oceans and creates carbonic acid. The acid reacts with calcium carbonate, the building block of a coral's skeleton. Without it, they lose their structure and eventually dissolve away.
Additionally, the most recent silent killer is deoxygenation, where oxygen concentration suddenly falls in deeper waters, resulting in dead zones, where the corpses of crabs, sea urchins, and sponges scatter the ocean bed. It is speculated that it has been under-reported by scientists, because the upper surface of coral reefs, where the water is still oxygen-rich, look perfectly healthy at a glance, but the insidious killings further down go unnoticed.
Not in My Backyard
The large-scale calamity of coral reefs in Asia is not a possibility, it is a reality. In 2015, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), who were studying the Dongsha atoll in the South China Sea, recorded an increase of 2°C in sea surface temperature. They expected it to be temporary and unalarming, so they paid little attention to it. However, on the day they were leaving, some researchers noticed bleached corals and were perplexed. Upon further investigation, they discovered 40% of the corals had died, and 10% bleached. What happened was the heat from solar radiation overpowered the sea’s natural cooling systems, amplifying the 2°C to 6°C instead, killing many of them. Are coral reefs in the Southeast Asia region at stake too, and what can we afford to lose?
The Southeast Asian region has coral reefs and colonies spanning the waters of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, in a triangle shape. Even though it covers 1% of the earth's surface, it is rich and abundant, filled with various marine life species, and vibrant fluorescent pink, blood orange, and green corals. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), not only does the Coral Triangle hold 600 species of reef-building coral, more than anywhere else on the planet, it is also home to 2000 species of reef fishes, and six out of seven of the world's marine sea turtles. It is a scientist's dream, a wonderland of diverse ecosystems and marine communities.
The Coral Triangle's value lies not only in its beauty or biological diversity, but in its importance to the 120 million people who live on the islands there. The natives rely on the coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds for food, building materials, and coastal protection from rough seas and freak weather storms. However, at least 40% of the reefs have been lost over the past 50 years from large-scale human activities such as sewage pollution, land reclamation, and destructive fishing, as well as the earth’s worsening climate.
If no action were to be taken, and human practices were unchecked, the loss of the reefs would have a larger impact than you think. Without the reefs, food resources would plummet to half by 2050, freshwater supplies would be tainted by rising sea levels, severe droughts and typhoons would become commonplace, and millions of people’s livelihoods would be threatened, forcing them to move to the already-crowded urban areas.
Singapore is no stranger to mass coral bleaching, either. The first was in 1998, the next in 2010, and the latest one last year, and each time was due to extreme weather changes, stressing the sensitive corals. Despite this, Singapore's coral reefs have continued to thrive healthily. Fortunately, the reefs between islands are well connected, so coral larvae drifting along currents and waves can spread across waters, giving rise to 250 species of hard coral, which is about a third of the global total. Even though Singapore's coral reefs are thriving because of researchers and specialists carefully encouraging its growth, much still has to be done elsewhere across the globe.
What Does Your Reflection Show?
Even though the misinformed article became a controversy about poor scientific journalism and the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions, it also demonstrated something crucial about our perceptions of conservation and global warming. Why were people so quick to weep over the supposed death of the Great Barrier Reef? Despite climate scientists relentlessly alerting people about ocean acidification and global warming and its effects, their warnings have been falling on deaf ears. Currently, the Great Barrier Reef has faced yet another bleaching event, and when it takes at least a decade for fast-growing coral to recover, some marine biologists speculate that there is no prospect of recovery for the areas hit by 2016's bleaching event.
This diagnosis would leave many shocked and in disbelief, and it should. However, with the little time remaining, it has never been more apparent how urgently we need sustain and care for whatever is left of dying reefs, as well as to protect those in danger. There are organisations, such as the WWF, in need of support to safeguard and protect the Coral Triangle, as well as educating people on how to live in harmony with the oceans. Wherever you are, action needs to be taken now, so that we may never have to say: once bleached twice shy; thrice bleached, too late it died.
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The Great Barrier Reef's "obituary" at the end of 2016 caused an uproar among social media users and ocean scientists. Even though it was later proven that the reef was not actually dead, it certainly is on its last few breaths. Is Asia's coral reefs in danger too?
Written By: Micaela Leong
Somewhere Across the Sea
What comes to mind when the word "ocean" is mentioned? Do you have childhood memories of cool waters gently lapping at your feet, or the crash of waves breaking against the shore? Have you seen water so clear, that you could see schools of fishes on the pearly white seabed? Do you remember jumping into the salty water with reckless abandon, swimming in the sparkling, shimmering, dark blue sea? Whatever you think of, it is agreed that the sea is a thing of beauty - but do you think the ocean is the still the same?
Near the end of 2016, news spread like wildfire across social media, that the entire Great Barrier Reef had died. The news arose as Outside Magazine published an “obituary”, covering a mass coral bleaching event. However, it was a hasty generalisation: only 20% of the corals were officially dead, and 90% of the remaining were bleached. Even though the alarming news was put to rest, it still highlighted the undeniable reality of the world's coral reefs: they are dying.
The myriad of colours of the reefs are not of their own doing. Instead, their vibrant hues come from algae growing on the coral structures. The two organisms have a mutualistic relationship, like roommates: one provides housing and the other provides food. Coral acts as a protected environment for the algae to live in, and provides compounds for its food production. In return, the algae photosynthesises and provides nutrients and oxygen for the coral to survive. Their relationship has stood the test of time for more than 200 million years, but the sharp increase in of carbon dioxide emissions has been threatening their livelihood.
As carbon dioxide builds up in the atmosphere, it acts like a blanket that traps heat energy we generate, and heat energy from the sun. With nowhere to go, heat is absorbed into the seas, raising its temperature. When the algae is stressed out by hot waters, they are expelled from the coral colony, leaving behind the bony, skeleton-white structure of the coral, hence the term coral bleaching. At this point, the coral is not dead - yet.
The process is reversible if conditions stabilise and corals have the chance to recover. However, if the coral cannot reabsorb the algae, it has reached its end. To add oil to the fire, carbon dioxide causes greater trouble, when it dissolves into the oceans and creates carbonic acid. The acid reacts with calcium carbonate, the building block of a coral's skeleton. Without it, they lose their structure and eventually dissolve away.
Additionally, the most recent silent killer is deoxygenation, where oxygen concentration suddenly falls in deeper waters, resulting in dead zones, where the corpses of crabs, sea urchins, and sponges scatter the ocean bed. It is speculated that it has been under-reported by scientists, because the upper surface of coral reefs, where the water is still oxygen-rich, look perfectly healthy at a glance, but the insidious killings further down go unnoticed.
Not in My Backyard
The large-scale calamity of coral reefs in Asia is not a possibility, it is a reality. In 2015, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), who were studying the Dongsha atoll in the South China Sea, recorded an increase of 2°C in sea surface temperature. They expected it to be temporary and unalarming, so they paid little attention to it. However, on the day they were leaving, some researchers noticed bleached corals and were perplexed. Upon further investigation, they discovered 40% of the corals had died, and 10% bleached. What happened was the heat from solar radiation overpowered the sea’s natural cooling systems, amplifying the 2°C to 6°C instead, killing many of them. Are coral reefs in the Southeast Asia region at stake too, and what can we afford to lose?
The Southeast Asian region has coral reefs and colonies spanning the waters of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, in a triangle shape. Even though it covers 1% of the earth's surface, it is rich and abundant, filled with various marine life species, and vibrant fluorescent pink, blood orange, and green corals. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), not only does the Coral Triangle hold 600 species of reef-building coral, more than anywhere else on the planet, it is also home to 2000 species of reef fishes, and six out of seven of the world's marine sea turtles. It is a scientist's dream, a wonderland of diverse ecosystems and marine communities.
The Coral Triangle's value lies not only in its beauty or biological diversity, but in its importance to the 120 million people who live on the islands there. The natives rely on the coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds for food, building materials, and coastal protection from rough seas and freak weather storms. However, at least 40% of the reefs have been lost over the past 50 years from large-scale human activities such as sewage pollution, land reclamation, and destructive fishing, as well as the earth’s worsening climate.
If no action were to be taken, and human practices were unchecked, the loss of the reefs would have a larger impact than you think. Without the reefs, food resources would plummet to half by 2050, freshwater supplies would be tainted by rising sea levels, severe droughts and typhoons would become commonplace, and millions of people’s livelihoods would be threatened, forcing them to move to the already-crowded urban areas.
Singapore is no stranger to mass coral bleaching, either. The first was in 1998, the next in 2010, and the latest one last year, and each time was due to extreme weather changes, stressing the sensitive corals. Despite this, Singapore's coral reefs have continued to thrive healthily. Fortunately, the reefs between islands are well connected, so coral larvae drifting along currents and waves can spread across waters, giving rise to 250 species of hard coral, which is about a third of the global total. Even though Singapore's coral reefs are thriving because of researchers and specialists carefully encouraging its growth, much still has to be done elsewhere across the globe.
What Does Your Reflection Show?
Even though the misinformed article became a controversy about poor scientific journalism and the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions, it also demonstrated something crucial about our perceptions of conservation and global warming. Why were people so quick to weep over the supposed death of the Great Barrier Reef? Despite climate scientists relentlessly alerting people about ocean acidification and global warming and its effects, their warnings have been falling on deaf ears. Currently, the Great Barrier Reef has faced yet another bleaching event, and when it takes at least a decade for fast-growing coral to recover, some marine biologists speculate that there is no prospect of recovery for the areas hit by 2016's bleaching event.
This diagnosis would leave many shocked and in disbelief, and it should. However, with the little time remaining, it has never been more apparent how urgently we need sustain and care for whatever is left of dying reefs, as well as to protect those in danger. There are organisations, such as the WWF, in need of support to safeguard and protect the Coral Triangle, as well as educating people on how to live in harmony with the oceans. Wherever you are, action needs to be taken now, so that we may never have to say: once bleached twice shy; thrice bleached, too late it died.
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Submission for the Asian Scientist Writing Prize 2017.
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