Coral reefs could be saved by improving water quality, says a research

Researchers from the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton have claimed that coral reefs ecosystem could be saved from destruction by controlling the degraded water quality at the major oceans.

What cause bleaching in corals?
Coral reefs are made up of two major constituencies, one is coral polyps and the other is single-celled algae called zooxanthellae placed within coral pylpos. Unusual water temperatures result in the loss of zooxanthellae due to rise in toxic levels and thereby threatening the coral reef lives under waters.

Hence the loss in algae cells due to photosynthetic deficiency results in the discoloration in the beautiful coral reefs giving them a bleached white color, the condition which has already lead to mass coral deaths.

The Findings
The milestone study was headed by Jörg Wiedenmann who is a Senior Lecturer of Biological Oceanography at the University of Southampton and Head of the Coral Reef Laboratory.

Jörg explained that “Our findings suggest that the most severe impact on coral health might actually not arise from the over-enrichment with one group of nutrients, for example, nitrogen, but from the resulting relative depletion of other types such as phosphate that is caused by the increased demand of the growing zooxanthellae populations.”

Jörg has talked about the importance of balanced nutrients and their role in maintaining the seawater temperatures for the healthy survival of the coral reefs.

The researcher however reiterated that the findings could help coral reefs survival for quite a short span as checking on global warming for maintaining ocean temperatures is by far the only long term measures to save coral reefs from permanent devastations.