Officials from the National Marine Park, “Arrecifies de Cozumel,” are reporting that coral in the surrounding area continue to recover, albeit slowly,  from 2011’s coral bleaching.  In fact, in some areas, coral bleaching is diminished by as much as 15% from a previous study conducted last year.  According to the previous study, only 10% of the corals studied in 2012 were affected by coral bleaching.    In 2011, a variety of conditions, including high water temperatures, caused rampant coral bleaching; in fact, nearly 25% of the coral studied was affected.

Coral bleaching, is due in part, to high water temperatures, which , cause corals to expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

This story originally appeared in the weekly Cozumel 4 You NEWS – the island’s number one source of positive information about our island!  Be sure and subscribe to the weekly NEWS to find out all the island events!…

Laura Wilkinson
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