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International Bulletin - August 1999

Global warming threatens coral reefs; Island Nations

Global warming is killing coral reefs and posing a threat to many of the world's island nations, especially in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. A recent study by the U.S-based Global Coral Reef Alliance (GCRA) says that last year's rise in global temperature destroyed most of the coral reefs surrounding the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The colourful reefs, which are part animal and part plant, protect coastlands from erosion, provide a home for many marine fish species and attract tourism. As havens of biodiversity they have been called the rainforests of the ocean. "There is no replacement for dead corals," says Dr Thomas Goreau, President of the GCRA, who headed the study.

Coral reefs may also be destroyed by events like pollution and hurricanes but such damage is minimal compared to that of global warming.

Scientists say additional heat in the atmosphere, due to an increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, is going into the oceans. When the water temperature goes beyond a certain point, the corals respond by bleaching themselves, expelling the algae that give them colour and provide nutrition. If the warm condition persists for too long, it weakens the coral, sometimes fatally.

Wide-scale bleaching began to be observed in the 1980s but dramatically increased last year, the hottest year of the century. Researchers say abnormally warm conditions persisted in sea water for more than five months in 1998, causing extensive damage to corals around island nations including Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

"Ninety per cent of corals in Seychelles and in some islands of Indonesia are already dead. We will witness the consequences in the next ten years," says Goreau. The dead coral barriers have not disintegrated so far, but if and when they do low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean region would witness severe beach erosion, besides experiencing huge losses in fisheries.

Last Modified: June 05, 2010