Most of Hawaii's coral recover from mass bleaching
<p>Anne Rosinski, marine resource specialist with the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, discusses coral bleaching at Heeia pier in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Thursday. The state says most of Hawaii's corals that bleached in warmer-than-normal temperatures last year have recovered, but they are now more likely to get sick because they've been weakened.</p>
<p>This Jan. 20 photo released by Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources shows coral being studied for bleaching, which is a stress response that causes corals to lose algae and color from their tissue, in Kaneohe Bay near Kaneohe, Hawaii.</p>
HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii's corals are recovering after being stressed by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures last year.
But scientists warn the strain of being in warmer water weakened them. This makes the coral more susceptible to disease. The coral are also now more likely to die the next time the waters heat up around them.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Thursday the coral bleaching that occurred during the warming event was the worst on record for Hawaii.
The phenomenon is called bleaching because warm water prompts coral to expel their algae and lose their color.
Mark Eakin coordinates the Coral Reef Watch program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said the bleaching demonstrates climate change isn't in the distant future but is happening now.