Coral Reefs: Bleaching and Hope

Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of the ocean but house 30% of all marine life.

That's like cramming a third of Earth's underwater species into an area smaller than France.

Here's the problem: when water heats up just half a degree above normal, corals expel their

colorful algae partners and turn ghost white. This bleaching isn't just ugly, it's deadly.

The algae provide up to 95% of coral's food through photosynthesis. Without them, corals starve within

weeks. Since the 1980s, 19% of reefs have died, and another 15%

are critically damaged. But there's hope: scientists discovered corals in the Persian Gulf surviving at

35 degrees Celsius, proving adaptation is possible. We're racing against time to protect