Vulnerability of corals to seawater warming
-Winter School on
Impact of Climate Change on Indian Marine Fisheries held at CMFRI, Cochin 18.1.2008 to 7.2.2008
Coral reefs are the most diverse marine habitat, which support an estimated 0.5 to 2.0 million species
in the world oceans. They are among the most sensitive of all ecosystems to temperature changes, exhibiting
bleaching (a phenomenon in which the symbiotic zooxanthellae are expelled by coral polyps) when stressed
by higher than normal sea temperatures. The hypothesis that corals and associated reef organisms might be
the first to show adverse effects of global warming has been widely recognized. Coral bleaching is by far the
most damaging event in coral reefs and is currently viewed as a major threat to the long-term health of coral
reef communities
