Threat of coral bleaching on the rise again

The Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI) has warned of another major coral bleaching event due to rising ocean temperatures.

While the Maldives is currently at a "no stress level" in the forecast for the threat of coral bleaching, over the next nine weeks, it is expected to reach dangerous levels.

Reports of coral bleaching have already begun to surface this year.

With the warming of the ocean temperatures, which comes during the hottest period of the year between February and May, the MMRI has asked people to report any whitening of corals in their region through the agency's Google form and website.

The last major incident of coral bleaching occurred in 2019.

The biggest cause of coral bleaching is climate change and abnormal global warming.

There are steps that can be taken to mitigate the damage caused by coral bleaching. The MMRI has previously said that the widespread implementation of lagoon excavation and land reclamation projects in the Maldives could hamper the recovery of lagoons after a coral bleaching incident. Therefore, this should be taken into consideration when implementing such projects.

According to earlier information provided by the agency to Mihaaru News, these incidents have become widespread since the first bleaching incident was detected in 1998. One of the biggest bleaching events since that year was in 2016.

The coral whitening phenomenon was studied comprehensively during that time. According to the MMRI report released after the study, in 2016, 73 percent of corals had bleached.