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CLIMATE
CHANGE
CORAL
BLEACHING
and the
FUTURE
of the
WORLDÕS
CORAL
REEFS
by
O V E H O E G H � G U L D B E R G
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
DIRECTOR,
THE CORAL REEF RESEARCH INSTITUTE,
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
ISBN 90-73361-52-4
Sea temperatures in the tropics have increased by almost
1oC over the past 100 years and are currently increasing at
the rate of approximately 1-2oC per century. Reefbuilding
corals, which are central to healthy coral reefs,
are currently living close to their upper thermal limit.
They become stressed if exposed to small slight increases
(1-2oC) in water temperature and experience coral
bleaching.
Coral bleaching occurs when the photosynthetic
symbionts of corals (zooxanthellae) become increasing
vulnerable to damage by light at higher than normal
temperatures. The resulting damage leads to the expulsion
of these important organisms from the coral host. Corals
tend to die in great......

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Approximate Word Count: 22967
Approximate Pages: 92 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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