Dr Jani added that "following the mass bleaching event reported for the Great Barrier Reef earlier in March (the 3rd in 5 years!) and heat stress and bleaching warning for waters around Singapore (NOAA Coral Reef Watch), NParks and scientists alike were aware of the very real possibility for a mass bleaching event on our reefs. We had hoped that Singapore’s (and the region’s) reefs be spared, but the warming seas were unforgiving.
Researchers together with NParks are currently working on analyzing the survey data. At first glance, while the shallow water reefs are hit badly, the deeper corals have mostly been spared. There are also differences between sites, with some reefs fairing worse than others. Sea temperatures are going down – a good sign that brings hope for the reefs. But recovery from bleaching can take months, if corals survive."
So what is coral bleaching? Why should I care?
What is a coral anyway?
Animal, vegetable or mineral? A coral is all of the above! See this video for more.
With ‘zooks’, corals can make food from sunlight (this is why most corals do best in clear water and murky water hurts them). With ‘zooks’, corals can make hard skeletons that create habitats for fish and other plants and animals. Singapore’s reefs are home to spectacular marine creatures like wild dolphins and sea turtles!
Why do corals bleach?
It is ‘zooks’ that give the corals their colours. When a coral is stressed, it loses its ‘zooks’ and turns transparent, the white skeleton showing through. Thus the coral colony appears white and ‘bleached’. But the coral is still alive.
If the stress ends, the coral can reabsorb ‘zooks’ from the surrounding water, regain its colour and health. However, if the stress continues, a coral without ‘zooks’ may grow weak and succumb to diseases and die.
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| In this photo, there are coral colonies that are bleaching (white), still healthy and not bleaching (brown), and recently dead (covered with light scummy growth). Pulau Semakau, Jul 2016. |
A single coral may bleach if it is stressed, and this is usually of little concern.
But many corals bleaching at the same time -- mass coral bleaching -- is a sign of widespread stress. An increase in sea surface temperatures of 1-2 degrees for a few weeks can trigger mass coral bleaching. Is it any wonder? We feel really sick when we have a fever of 1-2 degrees, even for a few hours!
Which marine life are affected by mass coral bleaching?
In our surveys, we noticed that some species of hard corals were among the first to bleach. Among them (clockwise from left) Cauliflower coral, Brain coral, Merulinid coral, Flowery disk coral, Trumpet coral, Carnation coral, Merulinid coral, Mushroom corals. Other species of hard corals bleached later or even hung on without bleaching. Many tiny animals live in and under corals. They too are hurt when corals become sick.
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| Large leathery soft coral bleaching opposite the Central Business District on Kusu Island, Jul 2016 |
What causes mass coral bleaching? What is the role of climate change?
Devastating world wide mass coral bleaching was declared in October 2015, eight months before it first happened in Singapore, by the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The third global mass coral bleaching event in recorded history, scientists warned it could result in the biggest global coral die-off. The only two previous such global events were in 1998 and 2010, when every major ocean basin experienced bleaching. Singapore’s reefs also suffered mass coral bleaching then.
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| Bleaching outlook by NOAA in May for Jun-Sep 2016 |
As bleaching events occur more frequently and closer together, corals have no time to recover. Some scientists believe that continued global temperature rise would lead a point when every year is a bleaching year by around 2030. This may lead to complete global loss of coral reefs by the middle of this century,
Other factors driven by climate change, such as ocean acidification, are also stressing corals to the point that scientists say, decades from now, reef communities will look and function much differently than they do today.
What’s good about mass coral bleaching?
Our corals are really obvious when they bleach white! It is only at this time that we can appreciate just how many corals we have on our shores. Also, this is when we often notice the corals growing in unlikely places such as the seawalls at ferry terminals.
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| From Terumbu Semakau, we could see corals bleaching across the narrow channel, on Pulau Semakau, Jul 2016 |
Mass coral bleaching is also a wake up call. To remind us that as the climate changes, the things we take for granted may change too. That we are a part of the problem, and thus, we can be a part of the solution.
What’s bad about mass coral bleaching?
Healthy reefs (together with other marine ecosystems like seagrasses and mangroves) maintain good water quality. As ecosystems falter and water quality deteriorates, we face risks such as Harmful Algal Blooms which can devastate aquaculture, kill marine life and harm or even kill humans. How much reefs do we need to lose before we get to such a dire state? I prefer not to find out.
An 'ecosystem' is a system of interactions among living organisms, and with non-living things such as sunlight, air, water, soil minerals. The living and non-living parts of this 'system' are connected through cycles of nutrients and energy flows (beginning from sunlight), as well as other kinds of relationships. An ecosystem is a system. Much like a car is a system. How many things can we damage or remove from a car before it stops working? Sometimes, losing one small thing (e.g., spark plug) can cause the car to break down.
This is why massive damage to an ecosystem such as mass coral bleaching is of great concern.
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| Mass coral bleaching on Big Sisters’ Island: on the horizon, Small Sisters’ Island and the skyline of the Central Business District, Jun 2016 |
Reefs provide shelter and food for important fisheries. No reefs, no fish. While Singapore may not rely on our reefs for fishes, fisheries are vital to other countries in our part of the world. Recently, there has been conflict in our neighbourhood over fisheries and ocean resource rights. As reefs die, contract and change, such issues can only worsen.
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| From "One of the World's Biggest Fisheries Is on the Verge of Collapse" National Geographic News 29 Aug 16. |
What can we do about mass coral bleaching?
Once corals bleach, there is nothing much that humans can do to help them. However, we can do our part to minimise other stresses on reefs so corals are in better health to cope with bleaching and recover quickly.
The continued presence of reefs in Singapore, even close to highly industrialised areas such as petrochemical plants, shows that agencies and corporations have done some things right. Our water quality remains good enough, and trash levels in the south are not as bad as in the north.
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| Rich reef on natural Pulau Semakau next to the landfill and opposite petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom, Jul 2016 |
Reduce other stresses on reefs
But long before they bleach enmass, our reefs face many other pressures. These include unmanaged and relentless netting and trapping of fish and marine life.
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| Dredging right next to Cyrene Reef, Jul 2011 |
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| This large dive boat ran aground on Terumbu Hantu, Nov 2014. |
Work together!
There is a growing community of ordinary people who care about our reefs and marine heritage. Divers, intertidal explorers, fishing enthusiasts, boaters, kayakers and others who simply love the water and our wildlife. Working together, agencies and communities can do great things for our beloved reefs.
Do science!
Mass coral bleaching is also an unintended experiment, and scientists and agencies are now probably gathering great data. To find out whether and where corals are spared from mass coral bleaching or have recovered more quickly, and learn why this is so. This will help us learn which sites in Singapore are the best for marine life, and the factors that create such conditions. Together with baseline data collected before mass coral bleaching, this can help us better protect Singapore’s marine heritage through conservation and restoration.
By developing expertise on coral bleaching and other coral health issues, Singapore’s reefs and the people who care for them can also contribute to regional reef conservation and restoration. We are after all, located near the Coral Triangle, the planet’s richest concentration of reefs!
You CAN make a difference for Singapore’s reefs: Connect, respect and protect
Connect by visiting Singapore reefs and shores! From mainland reefs at East Coast Park to natural shores at Sentosa, and more adventurous shores on our Southern Islands. You can visit them at low tide, no need to swim, no need to dive. There are many guided walks to join, and more tips on visiting our shores.
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| Visitors join intertidal walks conducted by volunteers and NParks at the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, Singapore’s first marine park. |
Respect our shores by learning more and sharing what you have seen and done on your social media channels. Speak up for our shores. Let me know if you have seen any mass coral bleaching, mass fish deaths or any other threats to our shores. Every shared sighting makes a difference!
Protect our shores by volunteering. From cleaning up the shores, to guiding at walks or dives, helping out with marine surveys, everyone’s time, talent and passion is welcomed.
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| Divers helping to monitor bleaching corals in Singapore. Photo by Debby Ng/Hantu Bloggers |
Singapore has awesome marine life, and even more amazing people who care about them. Come celebrate and conserve our shores together with us!
More on Celebrating Singapore Shores.
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