Not only Australia, but also Malaysia is now sounding the alarm about mass coral bleaching: more than half of the reefs in the Southeast Asian country are affected by the phenomenon, which is life-threatening for corals, the Ministry of Fisheries in Kuala Lumpur announced . Sunday.
Massive coral bleaching has also been observed in other parts of the world for several months, including on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Thailand. The cause is the high temperature in the oceans. When the water is too warm, the corals expel the colorful algae living in them, which they need to survive.
Severe heat stress leads to death
As a result, the corals lose their color and severe or prolonged heat stress leads to the death of the corals. When water temperatures drop and other stressors such as overfishing and pollution decrease, the corals can recover. However, if the heat lasts too long, they die completely.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Fisheries called on tour operators to limit the number of tourists taking part in diving trips in the reef. If coral bleaching spreads to more than 80 percent of reefs, temporary access restrictions should also be expected “to protect affected reefs.”
According to its own information, the ministry has also established a committee to protect corals, which includes researchers and representatives of the states on the island of Borneo.
60 countries affected by coral bleaching
According to experts, coral bleaching will become more frequent and severe as the oceans warm due to climate change. According to NOAA, the current bleaching event is affecting more than 60 countries and territories around the world.
Source: Krone
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