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Coral Death and Ocean Temperatures in the Southeastern and Indian Oceans

Introduction

Coral reefs serve as a biologically diverse habitat to almost 1/4 of marine life in the world. Corals are complex marine structures, composed of rock (calcium carbonate skeleton) and animal algae Zooenthelae. The coral are very sensitive to environmental stress, storms, and infections which can cause the death of the corals polyps. Recently, the reports of coral reef monitoring teams identified mass bleaching of coral on the coasts of southeastern and Indian oceans including the coast of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Maldives, and east Africa. The elevated and escalating ocean temperatures along with the incident of EI Nino have raised serious concerns among scientists to conserve the corals in the future (Clay, et al, 2004, pp 1056).

Discussion

Current situation of effect of temperature on coral death

Reports of scientists in Thailand on southeastern Indian coast have declared the alarming rates of death and bleaching of corals, i.e. 29% of dead reefs and 90% of coral reefs suffered from bleaching effect. Indonesia constitutes around 33% of the total corals in the world with an area of 85,470 sq km of tropical coral reefs (http://coastalchallenges.com). In the Philippines, coral reefs were reported to be 77% less productive in the time frame of 1966-1986. With this destruction pace, the corals reefs in the world will be trim down by 70% of in the next 25-40 years (http://coastalchallenges.com). The coral triangle, the most diverse coral reefs in the world, is also hit by the natural damaging forces of high temperature.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Hotspots (NOACC), claimed that the surface temperature of sea alleviated in may 2010 (34 degree, which was 4 degrees higher than normal average temperature in the area). The marine ecologists in Wildlife Conservation Society detected this occurrence on corals in Aceh, coast in Indian Ocean parameters. According to them, it was the worst expected death event of corals (http://coastalchallenges.com).

Dr. Baird, estimates demonstrate that, in the last six months, death of 80% of Acropora coral colonies and 50 percent of other specie colonies have occurred on the bleached corals in the pacific and Indian ocean. The gravity of the situation can be determined by the fact that the percentage of live coral on the reefs could plunge to 10% from 50%, over the years (http://coastalchallenges.com).

High temperature and coral reef ...