An Ignoble Death: Coral Bleaching

Introduction

Picture having a favourite brown sweater that keeps you super warm and cosy while simultaneously giving you that ever-so-sought-after academia aesthetic. Now imagine, giving this prized possession of yours for laundry and receiving back a discoloured, shrunk and tattered sweater which has no utility anymore. All owing to the aggressive washing machine and corrosive detergent.

Well, fairly similar is the concept of Coral Bleaching whereby corals lose not just their vivid colours but also their immense benefits towards wildlife and humans, as they turn palish-white. The abrasive washing machine and detergent here are Climate Change, CO2 emissions, Waste Dumping and Changing Temperatures. However, before dissecting the issues at hand, it is imperative to first dive into the informational ocean of these fascinating, straight-out-of-Avatar living beings.

About

Corals are extremely vibrant and colourful, tentacle possessing invertebrates, that belong to the Cnidaria Phylum, which also includes Jellyfish. Individually called, Polyp, together they form Colonies and even Reefs on a larger scale, making them the largest and only visible living creatures from space.

Their sustenance and pigments are dependent on a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with a microscopic alga called zooxanthellae. Corals provide Zooxanthellae with Shelter and Protection within themselves, while Zooxanthellae in turn supplies Corals with Gas exchange and Nutrition along with bright colors as well.

And in fact, Zooxanthellae is what facilitates growth of Corals, and does so via exposure to light which serves as a source of energy for photosynthesis. Thus, they are always pushing the horizons of the ocean beds and often move upwards as well. However, this makes them vulnerable to risks as well, predominantly because Zooxanthellae is extremely environmentally sensitive. For instance, even a slight change in temperature of water such as a minute 2-degree Fahrenheit can stress out the Coral, causing it to expel the Zooxanthellae completely which causes bleaching.

Corals are predominantly geographically located in and around the Equator where the water is usually warmer. Furthermore, over half of them are situated in Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and the Maldives. Both of which is better illustrated on the Map below, where the Yellowed-out regions represent these Corals.

Image Source - https://coral.org/en/coral-reefs-101/geography/

Importance

Corals Reefs are often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea” and are considered to be one of the most fruitful and biodiverse ecosystems on our planet, providing innumerous benefits to both Wildlife as well as Human Life. A useful way to sum them all up briefly is the acronym – PHIFM which stands for Protection, Habitat, Income, Food and Medicine.

Habitat because they are home to more than a quarter of all marine species including over 4000 Fish. And are often employed by creatures like Sponges, Crabs, Shrimps, Worms, Starfish, Turtles and many more as areas for spawning, nursery, refuge and feeding.

Protection because together the tentacles of the Corals form a compact and strong interlocking, hereby acting as a natural barrier against huge waves, hurricanes and cyclones and thus safeguarding coastal countries, cities and beaches.

Income due to its immense beauty and biodiversity they become great sites for tourism and fishing which helps build good foreign reserve, earnings and provides natives with employment opportunities.

Food in form of fish, crab, shrimp, oysters and much more for islanders, seaside communities, and those away from mainland.

And lastly, Medicine, coral reefs, and aquatic species contain great medicinal value and over the last decade have seen usage in treating Arthritis, Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Viral and Bacterial Infections even Heart diseases. All of which highlight the importance of Corals for the environment and why they need to be protected.

The Bleaching and Death

As mentioned earlier the main culprit responsible for coral bleaching is Climate Change, for the following reasons,

Step 1 – we are all aware that activities like Burning of fossil fuels for energy and heat, deforestation for baren land, overgrazing of pastures, industrial pollution, enormous vehicular usage, fertilizers, pesticides, construction activities, Oil Leaks, Hot Water dumping from Factories, poor septic systems, all together produce exorbitant amounts of Carbon Dioxide, Monoxide, Sulphur, Nitrogen Dioxide, Hydrocarbons etc all of which are extremely harmful to the environment.

Step 2 – All the harmful pollutants and Greenhouse gases especially Carbon Dioxide are emitted into the environment, while a part is responsible for Global Warming, Erosion of the Ozone Layer, Land Contamination, a huge chunk of Carbon Dioxide is actually absorbed by our Oceans, nearly 22 million tons of it every day. Sure, this is slightly slowing down Global Warming, but it is drastically also changing the whole chemical composition of the Oceans for the worse.

Step 3 – This change in composition can be seen in the form of Acidification (Decreased Ph Levels) of the Ocean Water, which compromises the ability to carry calcium carbonate which is essential to forming Skeletons of Corals and their growth rate along with structural integrity. In fact, it is estimated that by 2050, only 15 percent of coral reefs will have enough calcium carbonate for adequate growth. Rise in Sea Levels causes increased amounts of Sedimentation which lead to smothering of corals hence blocking light to them. Plastic Pollution is responsible for loss of Corals in the Pacific via causing bacterial disease. Additionally, Global Warming causes thermal stress to Corals and as we discussed Corals are very Temperature Sensitive and the ever-increasing temperatures would only accelerate Coral Bleaching which in turn makes them more prone to diseases and death if it is prolonged. In fact immense damage has already occurred during the 1997-1998 El Niño’s (Warming Phase) whereby 16% of the world’s coral reefs were killed in 12 months due to Bleaching and then in 2015-2017 when nearly 80% of the Great Barrier Reef was annihilated. With more expected in the coming years.

Image Source - https://time.com/coral/

Image Source - https://www.vox.com

Special Economic Zones Policy

Another very crucial factor causing great levels of Bleaching is the use of land on the coasts and the policy of establishing Special Economic Zones near ocean bodies. Activities that have been flagged on such kind of land include, the setting up of humungous pollution-reeking factories and industries, which are accused of not following safety standards set up for their surroundings, not using filters in chimneys, dumping untreated toxic oil, and chemical waste into waterbodies.

The best example of damage done via Special Economic Zones to Coral Reefs is that of Hainan in the South China Sea, which is home to supposedly 76% of Worlds Corals. But through these very waters of the South China Sea, nearly $5.3 trillion in international trade transpires which has led to immense exploitation of the corals mainly due to the fact that the Chinese government put economic development over environment protection and their lack of intervention when the loss to environment was visibly more costly than the economic gains. This can be witnessed in huge industrial buildings coming up, unregulated and illegal private as well as commercial fishing, sometimes even dynamite fishing which blatantly destroys the Corals from their very roots. Furthermore, Coral Mining is a serious issue in Hainan as Corals are often used in Art, Craft, Jewelry, food and even medicine thus are ruthlessly mined without much care for the aftermaths. Then there is the ever-present issue of having a huge population and on top of that tourism and the recreational activities that come along with it such as Unregulated diving by untrained professionals, and surfing which has become the next big thing in China after the Olympics, people from every nook and corner come to Hainan for Surfing but it’s the Surfing Board Wax made of Paraffin that is causing damage as it a byproduct of petroleum refining, upon coming in contact with water it automatically produces Carbon Dioxide, in fact, some big brands use Soy as well which is made from Pesticides, not to mention that the Packaging is of Plastic which is dumped in the ocean again causing damage to Corals. On top of that, there are ambitious construction projects for the tourist such as Hotels, Amusement Parks and what not. All of which together have caused destruction of nearly 22 square miles of coral reef.

Granted that all the above generates revenue and employment for China the SEZ in China should be taken as an opportunity to learn how one needs to strike a balance between the Economy and Environment. The issue is Hainan’s economy has risen due to Corals, but the Government isn’t taking any steps to sustain this economic growth by simultaneously making policy changes to protect those very Corals that are facilitating their economic growth. And if the tides continue to flow as they are, there is a threat of losing these precious corals and all the benefits they bring to the table in the form of PHILM because before long there won’t exist any Corals to sustain this economic boom Hainan is witnessing.

The Future

Coral Bleaching is a phenomenon that is silently destroying one of our most precious resources and requires our immediate attention and prompt action against it. On an organizational and government level first step would be to include Corals in political agendas especially at world organisations such as UNEA, Creating areas that protect coral reef marine, implementing strong measures to curtain illegal fishing, dumping, and designating specific spots for damaged corals to reinvigourate and keeping them separate from public access.

On a more personal level, we as responsible members of society must advocate for change by incorporating healthier practices into our daily lives. A few suggestions provided by The National Ocean Service include reducing our carbon footprints by shifting to EV's, driving less, cycling more, reducing pesticide usage in our homes, engaging in composting and water harvesting, and responsible discharge of any chemicals, oils, paints one uses into septic systems. Practicing reef-friendly habits when at the beach or in the water, consuming seafood obtained using sustainable fishing techniques, and most importantly, educating oneself on the dangers of coral bleaching and how to prevent it by reading, listening to, volunteering and consuming content that sparks discussion about pertinent topics. On that note, in closing if you wish to explore this topic further, the author of this article recommends a wonderful documentary film to get you started, called Chasing Coral which is available to Stream on Netflix.