Corals are one of the organisms most vulnerable to global warming: as the temperature of the oceans increases, they they have more and more problems to continue growing due to the decrease in calcium, an essential mineral for its formation.
In the blog we have talked at length about the situation of the Australian Great Barrier ReefBut the corals in Hawaii aren't much better. Researchers at the Coral Reef Ecology Laboratory, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology have documented a third episode of bleaching in the Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve, on the island Oahu.
When the sea temperature rises, it causes the ocean to become more acidic. Corals are organisms that maintain a symbiotic relationship with algae: while these plants provide nitrogen, the food they need to grow, corals protect these photosynthetic beings; However, due to global warming algae leave corals. By doing so, little by little they weaken, whiten until they finally die, which is what has happened to 9,8% of those in the Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve between 2014 and 2015.
While efforts have been made to protect this valuable ecosystem, the researchers note that if global warming continues, the seas will continue to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and thus coral reefs in this part of the world will also remain at serious risk of disappearing. If this happens, it is most likely that the million tourists who visit this place each year will notice the change; although not only them, but also the great variety of marine animals that live here.
You can read the full study here (It is in English).