Mass Bleaching Event Destroys Deeper Corals

In a recent study the scientists have observed that the mass bleaching event that has been responsible for finishing of over 30 per cent of shallow-water corals on Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef in the year 2016, had the capacity to cause more damage in deeper waters.

Usually it is believed that the deep reefs are not at the risk of thermal anomalies, yet the limitations to this role specify that both the shallow and deep reefs are under threat of mass bleaching events. Pim Bongaerts, from the California Academy of Sciences in the US stated that as the mass bleaching takes place the upwelling cold water generates cooler conditions in the deep reef. At the end of this upwelling, the temperatures rose to record high levels even at the depth. The Great Barrier Reef is indeed extremely difficult to study because it harbours extensive areas of deep coral reefs. The team made use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and deployed sensors as deep as 328 feet below the ocean’s surface. The main aim of doing this was to characterise that how the temperature conditions deep down are different from those in shallow habitats. Surveys were conducted during the heights of bleaching. It was found that major bleaching and mortality had a vast impact upon the corals at the deep sampling points. The research inferred that the Great Barrier Reef is highly vulnerable. This definitely is an additional limitation that shows that deep reefs are themselves impacted by higher water temperatures.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/mass-bleaching-event-on-great-barrier-reef-damaged-deeper-corals/articleshow/65682240.cms