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Hotter seas lead to coral bleaching along Colombia’s coast, 2023 expeditions find

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Coral bleaching is on the rise along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, according to the results of several expeditions made by Corales de Paz, an NGO that works to conserve and restore the South American country’s coral reefs. The NGO surveyed coastal coral reefs July 27-31, 2023, off the towns of Rincón del Mar, Pico de Náufrago and Canto del Mero. The NGO found that 25% of the hard coral colonies showed some degree of bleaching. In impacted colonies, the percentage of bleached tissue was around 52%, indicating a moderate-to-high level of damage. The first monitoring of corals in Rincón del Mar, Sucre. Photo courtesy of Corales de Paz. Coral bleaching is caused by hotter ocean temperatures due to climate change, which, combined with pollution and ocean acidification, severely impacts the corals. Coral reefs are key to the survival of around a million species that contribute to the food security of numerous coastal communities. Bleaching occurs when corals become stressed and expel the tiny algae that live inside them, which provide up to 80% of their nutrition. “When [the algae] are expelled, the corals no longer have anything to eat. If high temperature conditions persist for a long time, the corals can die of hunger,” explains Laura Cotrino, scientific director of Corales de Paz. Losing hard coral reefs has a domino effect, resulting in a massive loss of biodiversity. It also impacts the economy due to a loss of profits from tourism and fisheries. A fish caught during a dive in Rincón…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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