Corals along coast of Con Dao Island in Vietnam dying masse

By Alimat Aliyeva

A huge number of corals along the Vietnamese coast of Con Dao Island have discolored and died due to rising water temperatures after exposure to the natural phenomenon of El Nino, Azernews reports.

Damage to coral reefs was recorded a few days ago about 30-40 m from the shore in the coastal areas of the islands of Con Son, Bay Can, Hong Tre Nho, Dam Tre Bay.

According to the Council, corals are discoloring and dying due to rising sea temperatures due to El Nino (the recorded temperature is 32 degrees Celsius, when the ideal temperature for corals ranges from 24-30 degrees Celsius). This leads to the fact that the coral displaces the algae living in its tissues and stops the process of photosynthesis in the plant and it dies. Some bleached coral species have the ability to recover when the temperature of seawater decreases. However, if the temperature remains high, more corals will die.

The Con Dao district includes 16 large and small islands located off the coast of the province in the southern part of Vietnam Ba Ria Vung Tau with a population of more than 12 thousand people. In recent years, this place has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists.

The phenomenon of coral death has happened here several times, the most severe of them was recorded in 1998, 2010, 2016 due to the El Nino phenomenon.

According to a study by the Global Coral Reef Foundation, extreme temperatures around the world are the main cause of coral bleaching, a process that causes them to turn white, completely losing their inherent bright colors.
Scientists have found that 2023 was the worst year for coral bleaching in the Northern Hemisphere. They also predict that the Southern Hemisphere will experience its worst year in 2024.