Coral Bleaching

What is it?
Due to rising ocean temperatures, coral has been excreting algae and turning white.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_bleaching

How does this affect coral?

Although coral that is bleached is not dead, it is under a great amount of stress, and is more apt to die. 

Why are coral reefs important to us?

Coral reefs are a home to 25% of marine life. If coral dies, so do these organisms. Coral reefs are also a great resource for fishing industries as well as protecting the shorelines. 

http://www.noaa.gov/features/economic_0708/coralreefs.html

What can be done to stop coral bleaching?

Because coral bleaching occurs when there is a dramatic change in temperature, climate change is a factor. So influences to stop climate change could have an impact on the coral. 

Climate change is affecting the water temperature, which warms the ocean, and leads to coral bleaching. 

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/

Source:

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/coralreefs/coral-reefs-coral-bleaching-what-you-need-to-know.xml