Ocean Temperature Increase Has Destroyed 90 Percent of Coral Reef in Southern Bahia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The increase in the temperature of the oceans has already destroyed 90 percent of the fire coral reef on the Discovery Coast, near the town of Porto Seguro in southern Bahia. According to researchers of the Live Coral project, the corals are suffering from stress and decolorization.

“We have been following through the environmental monitoring here in the Discovery Coast region and we have realized that since December,  the water has been warming up more than expected. This led to the decolorization of the reef and beyond, reaching mortality of one species,” explained Flávia Gubert, coordinator of the project.

According to the researchers, 90 percent of the fire coral reefs are already dead in the two marinas on the coast. The temperature has risen because of the “El Niño” weather phenomenon.

“El Niño is a natural phenomenon that usually begins with the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean. This changes the whole pattern of the circulation of winds and other ocean waters. So, for example, a place that was supposed to have a circulation of water and change the temperature, this water can stand still and end up warming up a little more. This changes the whole wind and rain patterns. This warming of the Pacific influences the rest of the world,” said Leonardo Santos, the project’s marine biologist.

The researchers measure the temperature with sensors that also evaluate the incidence of light inside the reef. This year, they found that the temperature reached 31C (88F) degrees whereas the maximum recorded in the past was 29C (84F) degrees.

“What happened this year is that it was a more prolonged event. While in the other event, in April and May, the species were already recovering from decolorization. This year, we had an increase a little higher than 31C (88F), and it was only in June that the decolorization started. The species spent more than 6 months in this higher temperature, especially for the fire coral reef that was more sensitive,” commented Flávia.

According to the coordinator, the fire coral species was the most affected because it is closer to the surface and receives more sunlight. Because it is a species with branches, several organisms seek protection and food, but with the death of the reef, a whole chain of marine animals could be compromised.

According to the researchers, fire coral is a species that has a great capacity to regenerate. If the weather conditions become favorable, the coral can grow back and
dominate the reef areas where it lived.