Jarrod Taylor, who has been diving in the waters along the coast of Honolulu for 20 years, has witnessed earthquake transitions occur not only in Hawaii, but in the world’s oceans.

Coral reefs (coral reefs that are critical to maintaining marine life and biodiversity and helping protect coastal communities from storms) are Lost color and transform into Change the climate.

"It's sad and frustrating," Taylor said. "It was really colorful about two years ago. Now they're all bleached white."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 84% of coral reefs Now under thermal stress, it may cause bleaching. When the ocean is warm, the algae that imparts corals push their vibrant tones out, making them white skeletons.

Marine scientist Greg Asner leads Allen Coral Atlas, a program that maps the world's coral bleach to protect the target.

“There are some Hot wave Where and you might be swimming for a while and actually starts sweating in the water. Corals and other species that live on the seabed are more sensitive than we do. ” Asner said.

On the land and on the ocean, 2024 is The most popular year on EarthAccording to the European Centre for Medium Weather Forecasting.

As the average sea surface temperature reaches 70 degrees, rising heat is accelerating coral death. Killing the reefs took years. Now, it can take weeks sometimes - sometimes days.

Compared with Hawaii, the decline of coral reefs is Big obstacle reef According to Asner, the Galapagos Islands. In the Caribbean and Florida, the problem is the worst.

"It's shocking to see these huge areas, expanding the amazing biodiversity, like pulling the plug on a TV, and it's just static, just blank...and the recovery is very slow to zero," Asner said.

According to NOAA, without healthy and prosperous reefs, aquatic organisms lose habitat and the coastline loses natural seawalls that can protect communities from storms, which prevents billions of dollars in flood damage.

Although the situation is horrible, not all hope is lost.

There is a push to educate visitors on using unincluded sunscreen Chemicals that are harmful to coralsSolutions such as underwater nurseries allow coral repair and regeneration, but this takes time.

"The next generation, people I'm training now, are probably people who can see the recovery phase. If we control fossil fuels," Asner said.