This week, I recieved an extremely awesome opportunity to survey corals in front of the aquarium where I live. I proposed a novel approach of utilizing an ROV (remotely operated vehicle)to take a bunch of pictures across the reef to make a map for a new underwater classroom being installed at the end of the year. The classroom will be 40 feet underwater and will provide visitors the opportunity to explore the reef without having to swim! The best part is this approach of imaging the reef may change national policy for building on the coast in the future for all of Curacao!!
As I began my survey, I spotted my marker around the corner, a large Elkhorn coral about 1 meter tall and 1.5 meters wide. Some can grow the size of your parents' car; however, something was off. The coral wasn’t its usual bright orange; instead, it looked like a melting orange creamsicle. I remember some of you asking what "bleached" means. This coral is in the beginning phases of bleaching, a sign of stress that it is losing one of its major food sources, algae.
How do coral eat?
Corals are animals, like you and me, and they must get food to survive. Since they can’t move, they feed in two main ways:
