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Temperature Change: Bleaching

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Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Corals respond to thermal stress and synergistic increases in solar irradiance, by whitening or bleaching, a process reflecting the loss of color in symbioses between dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium and corals.

Introduction

Sea surface temperatures increased globally by 0.52 ± 0.19°C between 1850 and 2004 (Rayner et al., 2006). Based on an earlier dataset, Lough (2004) demonstrated how temperatures had increased by +0.17°C over the period 1951–1990 at 16 coral reef sites in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, an accelerated rate of change not paralleled in the earlier historical record. It has been argued that this ocean warming has moved corals closer to their thermal maxima, with warmer than average years pushing corals over the threshold of thermal tolerance (e.g., Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999). Corals respond to thermal stress and synergistic increases in solar irradiance, by whitening or “bleaching.” Bleaching is the visible sign of the degeneration...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cambridge Coastal Research Unit, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 3EN, UK

    Tom Spencer

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  1. Tom Spencer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

    David Hopley

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Spencer, T. (2011). Temperature Change: Bleaching. In: Hopley, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2639-2_157

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