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Bleaching Corals and Acid Oceans

Coral reefs are often referred to as the ‘rainforests’ of the ocean due to the biodiversity that they home. Coral is actually a jelly-like creature that lives inside a calcium home of their making, inside the shell is algae, which provide the corals with food. When coral becomes stressed the algae leave and the coral turns white – this is known as coral bleaching and occurs when sea water becomes too warm.

In 1998, the warmest year on record, coral bleaching was so severe on the Great Barrier Reef that it could be seen from space and 90 per cent of the coral in the Maldives was destroyed. Many of the world’s existing coral reefs are already dying and as ocean temperatures continue to rise, the bleaching will only get worse.

To make matters worse, the oceans are the main dumping ground for carbon dioxide, which has seen the oceans becoming gradually more acidic. Because the corals shells are made of calcium the increasing acidity of the oceans wears away the shells making it all but impossible for corals to thrive. Acidic oceans will also have an impact on animals that live in the sea