Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 10, 1 October 2015 — Warm ocean waters bleach Hawaiʻi coral reefs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Warm ocean waters bleach Hawaiʻi coral reefs

For a second year in a row, researchers say reefs are feeling the effects of coral bleaching as the result of warmer-than-normal oeean waters. Coral bleaching is the result of loss of algae living in the coral tissue, making it vulnerable to disease and increasing the risk the coral will die. The state is advising people to reduce stressors on the reefs by

being careful not to damage coral. Last summer, the reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands experienced their third and worst reporting mass-bleaching event to date. Nahonal Oeeanie and Atmospheric Administration Superintendent for Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Monument Athline Clark said, "With the Monument's fishing restrictions and healthy herbivore populations, there's hope the reefs in the NWHI will repopulate."

Coral bleaching in Kāne'ohe Bay. - Photo: Courtesy DLIiR