Coral Reefs: A Rapidly Dying Ecosystem

Coral reefs are dying and it's happening faster than scientists predicted. When ocean temperatures

rise just half a degree above normal, corals expel their colorful algae partners and turn ghostly

white. This bleaching isn't just aesthetic. It's a death sentence. The algae provide

up to 95% of the coral's food through photosynthesis. Without them, entire reef cities

collapse within weeks. These underwater metropolises shelter one-third of all

marine species on less than one percent of ocean floor. We're losing Earth's most biodiverse

ecosystem in real-time. The 2016 bleaching event alone killed massive sections of the Great Barrier

Reef. Ocean acidification makes recovery nearly impossible as corals struggle to rebuild