Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: marine biology

What’s the deal with…coral bleaching?
Science & Technology

What’s the deal with…coral bleaching?

The news broke earlier this week that a new coral reef system was discovered at the mouth of the Amazon River last year, appropriately named the Amazon Reef. The 9,500km² ecosystem was a surprise discovery to researchers when it was found off the coasts of French Guiana and Brazil, and an important one. 2016 was also the year that an obituary to the Great Barrier Reef, later revealed to be premature, went viral and spread panic about the state of the world’s coral reef systems. Rest assured, Nemo’s home is still alive and kicking, but is nevertheless under significant threat. Therefore, the locating of other reef systems is somewhat reassuring but coral reefs in general are suffering, mostly at the hands of a phenomenon called coral bleaching. Bleaching enamel or hair to possess pearly ...