at the same time, the corals are still recovering from the impact of hurricanes Irma and María." He also refers to the several reports that many species are affected by "stony coral tissue-loss disease, a rare, highly invasive, and deadly disease. Jacqueline de la Cour, manager of Coral Reef Watch Operations, said that "it is difficult to predict the bleaching that the corals of the Puerto Rican coast will suffer next August." He added that "it is obvious that this is a link to the damage caused by high temperatures. The damage occurs when the sea temperature increases a lot. The colors are nothing more than microscopic algae known as zooxanrels that inhabit the same corals. Coral bleaching occurs when corals lose their bright colors and turn white. An alarming figure that reflects the seriousness of the situation. Some voices are already being heard demanding that part of this fund be used to contain the threat of coral bleaching in August.Īccording to the Coral Reef Alliance, by 2050, global coral bleaching will have reached 90 percent. To date, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved 3 million dollars for the first phase of restoration of coral reef barriers located off the coast of San Juan. It is not surprising that, without social pressure, these activities go unnoticed. They claimed coastal surveillance and legal measures discouraged these practices. They made a call to the government to protect these areas and stop surfers and other types of marine activities. On the other hand, the environmental activists criticized this situation many times, but they received no official response. So far, the authorities have not announced any clear plans to mitigate and reduce the effects of the thermal impact that the country's corals will receive in less than a month. The Puerto Rican government does not seem to have the will to tackle the issue responsibly. "We need your help! Report coral bleaching/non-bleaching observations to help NOAA Coral, Coral Reef Watch understand observed changes in the global coral reef environment." "¡Necesitamos tu ayuda! Reporta observaciones de blanqueamiento/no blanqueamiento de corales para ayudar a a comprender los cambios observados en el entorno de los arrecifes de coral a nivel mundial." #CoralBleaching2023 #BlanqueamientoDeCoral /CgMObzb7Uv - Corales del Este Puerto Rico ���� 15, 2023 Such a situation will impact the deterioration of Puerto Rican corals, caused mainly by anthropic practices such as sedimentation, loss of water quality, damage caused by boats, impacts by divers, overfishing, and invasive species such as lionfish and macroalgae. It is foreseen that by August, these temperatures will reach higher levels. This is due to the high temperatures that the whole Caribbean is going through during this month of July. The report cited "a dangerous imbalance in the biosphere and constitutes, at the same time, an urgent call to contain the activities that increase the damage to the coasts." The organization issued many reports saying that, most probably by next August, the corals that surround the island of Puerto Rico will bleach. Today, the Marine Environment Society is launching an alert call again. Puerto Rico: Status of Cleanup and Decontamination Accepted Hurricane Fiona strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it headed toward Bermuda The storm made its first landfall in Puerto Rico, where it caused catastrophic damage. The problem became visible perhaps too late. The environmental policies focused on economic development and allowing tourists to explore the seascapes. The island government was too late to implement a plan to protect these delicate marine ecosystems. Rodríguez highlighted the combination of strong afternoon thunderstorms, typical for the area during the summer months, and the heavy sea breeze, along with the region’s topography, as potential factors contributing to the formation of the small tornado.Įxperts from the US National Weather Service traveled to Aguada on Monday to assess the tornado’s classification.The reefs in Puerto Rico have one of the worst states of conservation of coral polyps in the Caribbean area. This destructive tornado caused roof damage and brought down numerous trees and power lines. The most powerful tornado in recent decades struck the town of Arecibo in May 2022, with wind speeds ranging from 86 mph to 110 mph. However, the majority of these tornadoes have had minimal impact, as confirmed by Emanuel Rodríguez González, a meteorologist from the US National Weather Service. According to the US National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s database, a total of 24 tornadoes have been recorded in Puerto Rico since 1950, including the one that occurred on Sunday.
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