El Nino and La Nina + Coral Bleaching

what happens to water In normal conditions

the wind moves water towards the west, convection current, upwelling (deep water reaches the surface + brings cold/nutrient rich water to the east)

What happens during El nino

(the opposite)

westerlies either stop blowing or are reversed to blow towards the east, there is no upwelling, water gets hot because there is no wind to cool it down

What are negative impacts of El nino

lower biological productivity off south america

coral bleaching due to warmer seawater

What happens during la nina

(normal conditions with so much more energy)

stronger upwelling, strengthening of the westerlies

What are the effects of la nina

dry, mild conditions off south America, really cold water in the east (better for fishing), west has too much rain (monsoons in Indonesia)

Why do corals matter

Biodiversity/ habitats, add protection to coastlines (shoreline buffers), fishing

What creates the color of the coral

a symbiont located inside the corals cells

where is the symbiont and what is its signifiance

located in the Coral cell

responsible for capturing light energy and creating chemical energy

how much of the corals energy is from the symbiont

75-80%

what happens when a Coral is damaged

The damage occurs in the cytoplasm, the symbiont gets spit out ( gives the bleached appearance)

what does the symbiont not like

heat

Does bleached coral mean the Coral is dead

no it is just getting less energy

can a bleached coral go back to being healthy

yes if the water temperature increases

if there is prolonged temperature stress the Coral will die