Question

What is meant by coral bleaching?

Answer 1

Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white.Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality

Answer 2

Coral bleaching, whitening of coral that results from the loss of a coral’s symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) or the degradation of the algae’s photosynthetic pigment. Bleaching is associated with the devastation of coral reefs, which are home to approximately 25 percent of all marine species.