Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X @skuthunur.
The Great Barrier Reef, imaged by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite on Aug. 8, 2004.Multiple major coral reefs around the world are getting paler due to warming sea temperatures in the fourth-ever global bleaching event, and satellites are keeping tabs on the carnage.
The grim event, the second in a decade, is affecting over half the world's coral area across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. The toll includes what could be the worst bleaching ever experienced by Australia's famous, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Coral Reef Initiative, which confirmed the bleaching event on Monday .
Coral bleaching occurs when corals become stressed and leach out symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae live inside corals and are crucial to their survival; without zooxanthellae, corals not only lose their color but are at risk of starvation and disease. Corals, which are actually animals and support the livelihoods of millions of people, begin to die if warmer temperatures persist in the waters in which they are rooted.
Data they beam to Earth helped create the world's first tool to monitor coral bleaching in real time, which was released by the Allen Coral Atlas in 2021.
"This data will allow scientists, conservationists and policymakers to better understand and manage reef systems,” Mitchell Lyons of the University of Queensland in Australia, who is part of the Allen Coral Atlas project, said in a."It’s more than just a map — it’s a tool for positive change for reefs and coastal and marine environments at large.
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