GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae ) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

Detailed explanation-2: -Coral bleaching happens when corals lose their vibrant colors and turn white. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Coral are bright and colorful because of microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae live within the coral in a mutually beneficial relationship, each helping the other survive.

Detailed explanation-3: -During sustained periods of high temperatures, heat stress causes the algae – which live within the coral – to pump out oxygen free radicals, which damage coral tissue. The coral is then forced to eject the algae – a phenomenon known as bleaching.

Detailed explanation-4: -Reef corals are the sum of an animal and the single-celled algae that live inside its tissues. The animal is called the host and the algae are called endosymbionts. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. The corals provide the algae with protection in sunlit, shallow seas.

Detailed explanation-5: -The leading cause of coral bleaching is rising water temperatures.