Mixed Forecast for Coral Reefs
Persian Gulf

A global survey recently assessed the health of the world’s coral reefs.

Fortunately, nearly half the reefs damaged by coral bleaching in 1998 are recovering. Bleaching can occur when ocean temperatures rise suddenly, killing the algae that live in coral polyps, which coral needs to survive.

However many reefs, like those around the Persian Gulf, remain decimated by pollution, overfishing, and runoff caused by humans.

Nearly 65 percent of the Persian Gulf’s reefs are beyond recovery.

Image Credits:
Bleached Coral - NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Acropora Coral - www.reefscience.com
Damaged Coral & Healthy Coral - Denise McCorry/Project Seahorse

Satellite:
NASA