Posted on Oct 22, 2023
Extreme ocean temperatures threaten to wipe out Caribbean coral
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Unusually warm waters in the Caribbean Sea are fueling what some scientists say is the region’s worst episode of coral bleaching ever recorded — yet another worrisome development in what has been an off-the-charts year of warmth for the world’s oceans.
Reefs in and around the Caribbean are experiencing high levels of heat stress, according to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stoking fears that widespread bleaching could lead to a catastrophic die-off of corals in the area. It comes on the heels of one of the worst bleaching events ever seen off Florida.
“Florida is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program, Derek Manzello, a coral reef ecologist. “The entire Caribbean right now is bleaching. If you picked a random spot on the map in the Caribbean and jumped in the water, you’re going to see bleached corals.”
Warm conditions are expected to linger in the Caribbean Sea in the coming weeks, while the Southern Hemisphere also transitions out of winter and into warmer spring temperatures. All told, it may be the start of what's known as a global bleaching event, Manzello said, which is characterized by widespread coral bleaching in all three ocean basins: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian.
Reefs in and around the Caribbean are experiencing high levels of heat stress, according to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stoking fears that widespread bleaching could lead to a catastrophic die-off of corals in the area. It comes on the heels of one of the worst bleaching events ever seen off Florida.
“Florida is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program, Derek Manzello, a coral reef ecologist. “The entire Caribbean right now is bleaching. If you picked a random spot on the map in the Caribbean and jumped in the water, you’re going to see bleached corals.”
Warm conditions are expected to linger in the Caribbean Sea in the coming weeks, while the Southern Hemisphere also transitions out of winter and into warmer spring temperatures. All told, it may be the start of what's known as a global bleaching event, Manzello said, which is characterized by widespread coral bleaching in all three ocean basins: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian.
Extreme ocean temperatures threaten to wipe out Caribbean coral
Posted from nbcnews.com
Climate Change
Science
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The last such global event occurred from 2014 to 2017 — a period that, like this year, also featured the return of El Niño conditions, a natural climate cycle that can compound background warming from climate change, often boosting average air and sea temperatures.
Even with El Niño, the intensity of the marine heat waves, particularly off Florida, and their longevity came as a surprise, said Ian Enochs, a research ecologist at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory."
..."The last such global event occurred from 2014 to 2017 — a period that, like this year, also featured the return of El Niño conditions, a natural climate cycle that can compound background warming from climate change, often boosting average air and sea temperatures.
Even with El Niño, the intensity of the marine heat waves, particularly off Florida, and their longevity came as a surprise, said Ian Enochs, a research ecologist at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory."
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