Striking photos of bleached, dying coral

Corals are actually made up of many tiny organisms, including the delightfully named photosynthetic algae, zooxanthellae. (Sounds like the name of a space princess, right?)

Unfortunately, zooxanthellae are pretty sensitive to temperature. If the water gets too hot, they die, and all the color goes out of the coral. You can see that happening in this photo, taken off the Atlantic coast of Panama last month as part of documentation conducted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Normally, the water where this coral lives is around 82 degrees F (28 C or 301.15 kelvin for the pedants). But, currently, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica are in the midst of a warming event that's driving temperatures up to almost 90 F (32 C, 305.15 K). Bad news for zooxanthellae.

And bad news for the coral. Bleaching is the first step in a process that leads nowhere good.

Bleaching impairs vital functions of the coral such as reproduction and growth. With prolonged warming, corals begin to die releasing great quantities of mucous resulting in increasingly turbid waters. Oxygen levels may fall as bacteria and fungi proliferate. Anoxic conditions affect fish and coastal productivity.

See more photos, and read about the ongoing documentation.

Photo: Raphael Ritson-Williams, Smithsonian Marine Station, Via: Boingboing

'Pretty' Pollution Photos Show Depths of Minnesota Lake's Environmental Distress

Mary Taffe lake pollution hades photo
Lifelong Minnesota resident Mary Taffe turned to art to document the algae blooms (pictured above) and other pollution that has been increasingly prominent in nearby Big Stone Lake over the past four years -- changes she believes are caused by increased factory farming activity in the area.

"The first changes began four years ago, when we saw the algae bloom so early and thick, we couldn't use the lake. This was around the time a factory dairy in the watershed ramped up to approximately 13,000 cows," Taffe says.

"We haven't used the lake for four full summers, but last summer, the smell became nearly intolerable and lasted for two and a half months because the prevailing winds blew the goop to our side of the lake. It sat there and cooked." LINK

Punk Turtle

What is this? Is algae growing from this turtle? Link,Via: Unique Daily

Update: This is a Mary River Turtle, an endangered species in Australia, with algae growing on its head. The photographs are by Chris Van Wyk. Link, Via: Boingboing, Via: Neatorama