Coral Bleaching

Outline

• Definition
• Factors of Coral
Bleaching
• Coral Bleaching
Areas
• Corals Protection
from Bleaching
 • Coral’s loss algae zooxanthellae
• Zooxanthellae loss converts coral’s
What is color white (Bleach).
• Corals give protection to
Coral zooxanthellae.
Bleaching? • Zooxanthellae during
photosynthesis release oxygen and
nutrients.
• Corals receive 90% of energy
through algae.
• Great Barrier Reef is severely
bleached about 25%.

(Pratchett et al., 2018)

 Coral
Bleaching
Factors
• Extreme change in
water temperature
• Sea level increase
• Water’s chemistry
change
• Anthropogenic
phenomena
• Natural
phenomena
• Bacteria infection

(Suggett & Smith, 2020)

 • Sea Temperature Change:
a. Coral’s nature disrupt due to hot
water.
b. Zooxanthellae expel from the coral .
Global c. 1.5-2 degree Celsius increase for 5-8
Warming weeks.
• Seal level change:
a. Greenhouse effect melting the ice
caps
b. Sea level is increasing
c. Depth of Coral reefs increasing
d. Hence, unable to receive enough
sunlight

(Goreau & Hayes, 2021)

Anthropogenic • Shipping Accidents:
a. Overboard litter
Phenomena
b. Accidental and illegal diesel and
oil spills
c. Vessels sinking
d. Groundings

(Rice et al., 2019)

 • Cyanide Fishing:
a. Cyanide stun fishes
Anthropogenic b. Fishers catch alive fishes
Phenomena c. Cyanide is poison for coral
• Herbicides
a. Farmers sprinkle herbicides on
plants
b. Rain wash way chemical
(herbicide) enriched soil

(Rice et al., 2019)

 Natural • Tsunami
• Predatory outbreaks
Phenomena • El Nino Southern Oscillation
• Flooding
• Violent storms

(Utama & Hadi, 2018)

 Water’s
chemistry • Acidity of seawater increases
change • As a result of Carbon dioxide
• Coral structure disturb
• Zooxanthellae leave the coral.

(Sawall et al., 2020)

 Bacterial
Infection

• Hermodice
carunculata (fire
worms) release
Vibrio Shiloi
(Bacteria)
• Vibrio Shiloi act as
bleaching agent at
high temperature of
seawater.

(Suggett & Smith, 2020)

• Mass Coral
Bleach Area

(Utama & Hadi, 2018)

 • Coral Reef Task Force established in
1998 by USA.
Coral Reef • Conserve and protect coral reefs.
Protection • Monitors and maps US coral reefs.
• Find out coral bleaching causes.
• Finding ways to prevent bleaching.
• Marine Protected Areas is
necessary.

(Rice et al., 2019)

 • Goreau, T. J., & Hayes, R. L. (2021). Global warming
triggers coral reef bleaching tipping point. Ambio, 1-4.
• Pratchett, M. S., Thompson, C. A., Hoey, A. S.,
Cowman, P. F., & Wilson, S. K. (2018). Effects of coral
bleaching and coral loss on the structure and function of
reef fish assemblages. In Coral bleaching (pp. 265-293).
Springer, Cham.
• Rice, M. M., Ezzat, L., & Burkepile, D. E. (2019).
References Corallivory in the Anthropocene: interactive effects of
anthropogenic stressors and corallivory on coral
reefs. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5, 525.
• Sawall, Y., Harris, M., Lebrato, M., Wall, M., & Feng, E.
Y. (2020). Discrete pulses of cooler deep water can
decelerate coral bleaching during thermal stress:
Implications for artificial upwelling during heat stress
events. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 720.
• Suggett, D. J., & Smith, D. J. (2020). Coral bleaching
patterns are the outcome of complex biological and
environmental networking. Global Change Biology, 26(1),
68-79.
• UTAMA, R. S., & HADI, T. A. (2018). Recent coral reef
conditions in Weh Island, Aceh Province,
Indonesia. Indo Pacific Journal of Ocean Life, 2(2), 47-53.