dead coral
Whitened marine remains
Dead coral is coral that has died, losing its living polyps and often its color.
Coral dies from rising ocean temperatures, pollution, or disease—a process called coral bleaching when heat stress causes the coral to expel its symbiotic algae and turn white.
Dead coral reefs lose their biodiversity and structural complexity: The snorkelers swam over acres of dead coral where fish once thrived.
- bleachedHad color removed
- bone whitePale off-white shade
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
- whiteAbsence of pigment
calcium · algae · ocean · tropical · climate · warming · climate change · acidification · ocean acidification · sea level rise · marine · marine life · polyp · lifeless · brittle · ghostly · underwater · ecosystem
- coral reefsreef, polyp, polyps, lagoon, barrier reefs
- reef materialslimestone, calcium carbonate, aragonite