On two thirds of the largest reef Japan's coral reefs are dead, the country's environment minister has said. Increased coral bleaching, which is mainly caused by rising temperatures.
The Sekiseishoko coral reef is between the remote islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote, 1.931 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The bleaching has been getting worse in 2016 because ocean temperatures have increased one to two degrees Celsius higher than usual between the months of June and September, even reaching 30 degrees.
According to the study, more than 91 percent of the reef's coral it is at least partly whitish. This follows a massive bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef last summer that killed more coral than ever before.
the rise of ocean temperatures it is due to the hand of man that affects climate change, with 2016 becoming the third year in a row to break all temperature records.
The Center for Reef Studies has advised that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to continue, similar events could be the new norm, occurring every year by the middle of 2030.
bleaching occurs when there are abnormal environmental conditions which cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, which dries them out and strips them of all color. They eventually die if bleaching continues for long periods.
A topic that we talk about on numerous occasions in our blog, as has been the case when we had new images of the Great Coral Reef and its bleachingthe questions we ask ourselves on the possibility of recovering the reefs or as scientists are restless by losses that climate change can cause in which we are submerged and the one that seems to never end; and more while we continue with our lifestyle.