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the coral

What actually happens when coral turns white

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, yet about a quarter of all sea life depends on them.

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The real story

Each coral is a colony of tiny animals called polyps. Living inside their tissue are microscopic algae that turn sunlight into food, supplying most of the coral's energy and all of its colour.

When the water stays even 1°C warmer than normal for a few weeks, the partnership breaks down and the coral pushes its algae out. That's bleaching. A bleached coral isn't dead yet, it's starving. If the water cools in time, the algae can return. In 2024 scientists confirmed the fourth global mass bleaching event on record.

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The facts we checked

  • Corals are animals, not rocks or plants
  • Reefs cover under 1% of the ocean floor but shelter about a quarter of all marine species
  • When water gets too warm, corals expel the algae that colour and feed them and turn white (bleaching); if it cools in time, they can recover
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