Elevated Temperatures Outstrip the World’s Oceans of Its Corals, 14% Already Lost in Less Than a Decade

Corals vanishing fast from the World’s oceans…learn more…

Wednesday, 6th October 2021

New figures that have been released on Tuesday, in the “Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020” report show that 14 percent of the globe’s coral has already been lost since 2009.

The report, the sixth edition is produced by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), gives details of the global coral reef health has undertaken the largest ever analysis conducted on the subject.

The GCRMN is believed to be a body that gives the most detailed picture of the condition that the world’s coral reefs are in due to elevated temperatures. It takes into account data that spans over 4 decades, is brought in from 73 nations from over 12,000 different sites, is collected by 300 scientists, and has gone through 2 million individual observations, all of which collate the pressures that climate change is putting on the ecosystem.

Apart from climate change, other local factors are also causing ocean health to take a toll, like, overfishing, unsustainable means adopted in the name of coastal development, and continually diminishing water quality.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said, “Since 2009 we have lost more coral, worldwide, than all the living coral in Australia. We are running out of time: we can reverse losses, but we have to act now.”

The main findings of the study

• High rates of coral bleaching due to rising sea temperatures are the main cause of coral loss
• The most affected regions were the Indian Ocean, Japan, and the Caribbean. Lesser impacted areas included the Red Sea, The Gulf, the northern Pacific in Hawaii, and the Caroline Islands
• There was been a loss of 9 percent of the world’s coral since 1978 which spiked to 20 percent between 2010-2019
• A relief factor was that the center of coral reef biodiversity that accounts for more than 30 percent of the world’s reefs- the coral reefs in East Asia’s Coral Triangle have been less affected by rising sea surface temperatures

Inger Andersen said, “We must not leave future generations to inherit a world without coral.” Although corals comprise a very tiny percentage of the world’s ocean floor, they have a critical role in providing habitat to several species, are a primary source of protein, and helps make critical medicines.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source: 

Indiatoday