AssetID: 53168460
Headline: Coral Bleaching Discovered At Record Depths Sparking New Global Warming Fears
Caption: Scientists have discovered evidence of coral reef bleaching at record depths exceeding 90 metres below the surface of the Indian Ocean. This devastating phenomenon, attributed to a 30% surge in sea temperatures driven by the Indian Ocean dipole, inflicted harm upon up to 80 of the reefs in select seabed regions. Dr. Phil Hosegood, Associate Professor in Physical Oceanography at the University of Plymouth and the project's lead says it’s a “revelation”. He adds: “Deeper corals were conventionally seen as impervious to ocean warming, primarily because their underwater environments are cooler than the surface and considered to be more stable”. The initial indications of coral damage were observed during a research voyage in November 2019 when images from the underwater cameras unveiled the coral bleaching beneath the surface. Analysis revealed that while surface ocean temperatures remained relatively stable during this period, temperatures beneath the surface rose significantly from 22°C to 29°C due to the deepening of the thermocline layer of water across the equatorial Indian Ocean. Escalating bleaching in mesophotic corals will eventually lead to coral mortality and a diminution in the structural complexity of these reefs. This is likely to result in a loss of biodiversity and a decline in the vital ecosystem services that these reefs provide to the planet. With the frequency and severity of damage to shallow water corals increasing, there was previously hope that these being unaffected would help compensate for the loss of these shallow corals but these corals may now be affected by warming temperatures too.
Keywords: Coral,Bleaching,Depths,Global,Warming,Fears,Scientists,evidence,surface,Indian Ocean,ocean,devastating,phenomenon,sea,temperatures,surge,dipole,harm,reefs,regions,Dr. Phil Hosegood,Physical,Oceanography,University of Plymouth,environments,water,mesophotic,planet,damage
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