Coral reefs suffer mass bleaching
Coral reefs are suffering widespread damage in what is set to be one of the worst years ever for the delicate and beautiful habitats. 
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent
Published: 9:30AM BST 18 Jul 2010 The phenomenon, known as coral bleaching because the reefs turn bone white when the colourful algae that give the coral its colour and food is lost, has been reported throughout south east Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Divers and scientists have described huge areas of previously pristine reef being turned into barren white undersea landscapes off the coast of Thailand and Indonesia. The popular island tourist destination the Maldives have also suffered severe bleaching. Reefs in the Caribbean could also be under threat. High ocean temperatures this year are being blamed for the bleaching, which experts fear could be worse than a similar event in 1998 which saw an estimated 16 per cent of the world’s reefs being destroyed. Dr Mark Eakin, coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, said: “The bleaching is very strong throughout south east Asia and the central Indian Ocean. “The reports are that it is the worst since 1997/1998. This is a really huge event and we are going to see a lot of corals dying.” … Olivia Durkin, who is leading the bleaching monitoring at the Centre for Biodiversity in Peninsular Thailand, said: “This year’s severe coral bleaching has the potential to be the worst on record. “Extensive bleaching, death and disease are reported not only in corals, but giant clams, sea anemones and soft corals are also losing their symbiotic algae.” … Dr Eakin added: “This year may be a tough year in the Caribbean. It all depends on what the tropical storms do. “When I visited Thailand a couple of weeks ago, it was an eerie experience to look around to see white in places that should have been full of bright colours and life. It was almost worse than looking at a dead reef, because what we were looking at was a reef that was right on the verge of dying.” “It doesn’t just effect the corals themselves but the fish that live there. There were anemone fish sitting in the middle of bleached anemone behaving strangely and not defending their territory. It was like they were a little stunned. “For species that feed on coral, this is even worse for them.” …
