Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The combined effects of increasing global temperatures and El Niño have a huge impact on coral reefs and their fragile and biodiverse marine ecosystems. Rising temperatures contribute to coral bleaching, where corals lose their vibrant colors and crucial symbiotic relationships with algae. This weakens the corals, making them more susceptible to disease and mortality. El Niño, with its elevated ocean temperatures and altered weather patterns, can make things worse. It often leads to widespread coral bleaching events, causing further stress to already vulnerable reefs. The compounding stress from both phenomena can result in significant coral reef loss. Since coral reefs are a keystone species their loss disrupts marine habitats and threatens the large number of plants and animal species that depend on these delicate ecosystems for survival. Learn about this one-two punch from Charles Kazilek, the founder and director of Ask A Biologist. Later you can explore more on the Ask A Biologist website.
Learn more: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/plosable/el-nino-coral-reefs
Explore more: https://sparks.learning.asu.edu
Intro - 00:00
The problem - 01:00
Keystone species - 01:44
Impact of El Niño - 02:01
What you can do - 03:24
The combined effects of increasing global temperatures and El Niño have a huge impact on coral reefs and their fragile and biodiverse marine ecosystems. Rising temperatures contribute to coral bleaching, where corals lose their vibrant colors and crucial symbiotic relationships with algae. This weakens the corals, making them more susceptible to disease and mortality. El Niño, with its elevated ocean temperatures and altered weather patterns, can make things worse. It often leads to widespread coral bleaching events, causing further stress to already vulnerable reefs. The compounding stress from both phenomena can result in significant coral reef loss. Since coral reefs are a keystone species their loss disrupts marine habitats and threatens the large number of plants and animal species that depend on these delicate ecosystems for survival. Learn about this one-two punch from Charles Kazilek, the founder and director of Ask A Biologist. Later you can explore more on the Ask A Biologist website.
Learn more: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/plosable/el-nino-coral-reefs
Explore more: https://sparks.learning.asu.edu
Intro - 00:00
The problem - 01:00
Keystone species - 01:44
Impact of El Niño - 02:01
What you can do - 03:24
