TAG: GS-3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the ongoing mass coral bleaching event is on 18th Oct 2024 the most extensive one and has broken the previous records by more than 11% in about half the time.
EXPLANATION:
More about news:
Current bleaching has so far subjected a staggering 77% of the world’s coral reef areas from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian oceans to bleaching-level heat stress, as climate change fuels record and near-record ocean temperatures worldwide.
About Coral Bleaching:
- Corals are a marine species having a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues.
- Coral bleaching is defined as the process in which corals expel their symbiotic algae due to environmental stressors like changes in temperature, light or nutrients.
- The current 4th bleaching event was declared by NOAA Coral Reef Authority in April 2024.
- First bleaching event reported in 1998 caused a loss of 8% of the world’s corals.
- ~14% of the world’s remaining corals were estimated to have died in the previous two global bleaching events (2010 and 2014-2017)
- Impact of Coral Bleaching
- Ecological: Reduced biodiversity, disruptions in food chain, etc.
- Socio-economic impacts: Decline in fisheries sector, reduced tourism, etc.
Initiatives taken to prevent coral bleachingIndia
Global
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