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What endangers one of world's most vibrant Hawaii's coral reefs

Just four years after a major marine heat wave killed nearly half of Hawaii's coral reefs, researchers are predicting another round of hot water will cause some of the worst coral bleaching the region has ever seen. Here's what is endangering the world's most abundant and vibrant coral reefs:

Edited by: India TV News Desk Pahoa Updated on: September 25, 2019 16:11 IST

What is coral bleaching

India Tv - Coral reefs are vital around the world as they  provide a habitat for fish.

Image Source : AP

Fish swim near bleaching coral in Kahala'u Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Coral reefs are vital around the world as they not only provide a habitat for fish _ the base of the marine food chain _ but food and medicine for humans. They also create an essential shoreline barrier that breaks apart large ocean swells and protects densely populated shorelines from storm surges during hurricanes. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Bleaching occurs when stressed corals release algae that provide them with vital nutrients. That algae also gives the coral its color, so when it's expelled, the coral turns white.

Coral reefs are vital around the world as they not only provide a habitat for fish — the base of the marine food chain — but food and medicine for humans. They also create an essential shoreline barrier that breaks apart large ocean swells and protects densely populated shorelines from storm surges during hurricanes.

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