CoralPlanet
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Has bleaching happened before?
The first records of coral bleaching happening around the world was in the 1980's, according to the Chasing Coral website. Bleaching has become more common over the past 20 years, and it is this that worries scientists the most. Coral can come back quickly, but ocean temperatures just keep rising.
What causes fluorescing?
Fluorescing is the coral's last chance to protect itsself from the UV radiation that is a part of bleaching. The coral secretes a kind of sunscreen that is usually a very vibrant color. This is called fluorescing.
How fast can coral recover?
Different corals grow at different rates, but it can take very long for the biodiversity in the reef to return to the way it was once coral has died.
Can coral migrate to cooler waters?
Corals live in very precise conditions, and if the water temperature rises, the coral will expell the zooxanthellae, which gives the coral most of its food, and will slowly starve. There is only a small portions of the oceans that have the right conditions, and coral is sessile, which means it is attached to the substrate it lives on and cannot move off it.
What does the future look like for coral?
According to the Chasing Coral website, by 2043, 90% of the corals in the world will be dead, and bleaching will happen regularly for the corals still alive. Unless we do something, there will be no more coral in just a few decades.
Are some corals more adapted to the warm waters?
The Red Sea has corals that have to endure warmer waters than corals in other places. However, the warmer waters impact the biodiversity in the reefs even if it doesn't impact the coral as much.