{"id":7964,"date":"2016-08-03T11:27:59","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T10:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/?p=7964"},"modified":"2016-09-05T10:12:50","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T09:12:50","slug":"el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/","title":{"rendered":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the beginning of May I travelled to Madagascar, along with 11 other volunteers, for a six week adventure with Blue Ventures in the remote village of Andavadoaka. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We arrived in the middle of a mass bleaching event where shockingly colourless corals were on the brink of survival. I was inspired by this distressing sight to gain a better understanding of the bleaching process, so I began investigating\u00a0the potential contributing factors behind the bleaching event in Madagascar&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 437px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 274px; height: 441px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/corals-crisis-monitoring-third-global-bleaching-event-southwest-madagascar\/img_0308-web\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"7811\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/IMG_0308-web.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"976,588\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_0308-web\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/IMG_0308-web-593x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/IMG_0308-web-745x449.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/IMG_0308-web-270x163.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"163\" align=\"left\" title=\"IMG_0308-web\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 270px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 270\/163;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Photo: Abigail Leadbeater<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/corals-crisis-monitoring-third-global-bleaching-event-southwest-madagascar\/screenshot-2016-06-13-13-37-50\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"7805\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.37.50.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot 2016-06-13 13.37.50\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.37.50-357x357.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.37.50-483x483.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.37.50-270x270.png\" width=\"270\" height=\"270\" align=\"left\" title=\"Screenshot 2016-06-13 13.37.50\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 270px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 270\/270;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Photo: Nick Short<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 621px; height: 441px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/corals-crisis-monitoring-third-global-bleaching-event-southwest-madagascar\/dcim100gopro\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"7807\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/GOPR1996-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,709\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"DCIM100GOPRO\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/GOPR1996-2-504x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/GOPR1996-2-681x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/GOPR1996-2-617x437.jpg\" width=\"617\" height=\"437\" align=\"left\" title=\"DCIM100GOPRO\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 617px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 617\/437;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Photo: Martin Muir<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 891px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 895px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/corals-crisis-monitoring-third-global-bleaching-event-southwest-madagascar\/screenshot-2016-06-13-13-38-19\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"7806\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.38.19.png\" data-orig-size=\"600,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Photo: Abigail Leadbeater\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.38.19-357x357.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.38.19-483x483.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/Screenshot-2016-06-13-13.38.19.png\" width=\"891\" height=\"891\" align=\"left\" title=\"Photo: Abigail Leadbeater\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 891px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 891\/891;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Photo: Abigail Leadbetter<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"pull-right\" style=\"background-color: #eee; padding: 15px;\">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2016\/apr\/19\/great-barrier-reef-93-of-reefs-hit-by-coral-bleaching\">aerial survey<\/a> recently revealed that almost 93% of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia has suffered from coral bleaching!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I learnt that the coral bleaching I witnessed in Madagascar is part of a serious global mass bleaching event. Coral reefs around the world are undergoing staggering amounts of bleaching, leaving many ecosystems at risk of collapse. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This global crisis is linked to the recent El Ni\u00f1o event \u2013 a natural weather phenomenon that occurs roughly every two to seven years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The story of El Ni\u00f1o begins in the Pacific Ocean. The <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.esrl.noaa.gov\/psd\/enso\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Ni\u00f1o Southern Oscillation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ENSO) has two phases &#8211; the cool phase, La Ni\u00f1a, and the warm phase, El Ni\u00f1o. During the cool phase, strong trade winds blowing to the Eastern Pacific cause an easterly ocean current that pushes warm surface waters to Australia and Indonesia. There the warm air rises, causing storms and providing much needed rain. On the other side of the ocean the coasts of North and South America experience colder waters circulated from the deep ocean and dry, arid conditions over land.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pull-right\" style=\"background-color: #eee; padding: 15px;\">The name \u201cEl Ni\u00f1o\u201d, meaning \u201cThe boy\u201d in Spanish, comes from the fact that the water near South America is often at its warmest near Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every so often these trade winds weaken, causing warm air to rise over the mid Pacific instead \u2013 the warm phase. With these changing conditions come celebrations on the coasts of South America, as the warmer waters bring more nutrients, increasing the productivity of their fisheries, and more rain to moisten the parched soil and improve their agriculture. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">O<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n the other side of the Pacific Ocean however, it is a different story. For Australians, Indonesians and other West Pacific nations, El Ni\u00f1o causes severe draughts, blistering heat and extremely high sea surface temperatures.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7967\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7967\" class=\"wp-image-7967 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1.jpg\" alt=\"SP1\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1-98x65.jpg 98w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1-536x357.jpg 536w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP1-375x250.jpg 375w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/413;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ENSO can cause higher than normal sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean too, as warm waters from the Pacific overspill into the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian Strait. This is also exacerbated when ENSO coincides with the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bom.gov.au\/climate\/enso\/history\/ln-2010-12\/IOD-what.shtml\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Dipole<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 a large temperature difference across eastern and western ends of the Indian Ocean basin resulting in abnormally high sea surface temperatures around Madagascar and the east coast of Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These warm waters are the crux of the global bleaching event. High sea surface temperatures can be disastrous for coral reefs as they are a key stressor for the photosynthetic algae that provide corals with vital nutrients. When the water gets too hot, these algae are expelled from the coral, leaving it to suffer severe malnutrition. This can lead to death if the high temperatures continue, as explained in Blue Ventures\u2019 recent blog <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/corals-crisis-monitoring-third-global-bleaching-event-southwest-madagascar\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corals in crisis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7968\" style=\"width: 2510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7968\" class=\"wp-image-7968 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2.png\" alt=\"SP2\" width=\"2500\" height=\"914\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2.png 2500w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-2000x731.png 2000w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-100x37.png 100w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-700x256.png 700w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-745x272.png 745w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-1300x475.png 1300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-300x110.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/SP2-1200x439.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2500\/914;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although El Ni\u00f1o is a naturally occurring event, it is becoming increasingly frequent, with recent events occurring in 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2015. Climate change is already exacerbating the effects of many extreme weather events, and the impacts of El Ni\u00f1o on recurrent coral bleaching episodes is being closely monitored in the hope that the future health of the world\u2019s reefs can be protected through improved management. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Andavadoaka this monitoring starts with volunteers like myself helping to collect the data, which is then shared with regional and global research networks. This emphasises the importance of volunteers and the role they can play in helping scientists document events, and in supporting conservation initiatives aiming to mitigate the effects of future events.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7970\" style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7970\" class=\"wp-image-7970 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-87x65.jpg 87w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-476x357.jpg 476w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-644x483.jpg 644w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-1300x975.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/08\/PA240219-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1600\/1200;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-7970\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blue Ventures volunteers are instructed in data collection and coral monitoring techniques.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bleaching of the beautiful reefs here in South West Madagascar is still occurring, but luckily, as the cold season approaches, there are some promising signs of recovery. This indicates that many of the corals may be able to survive and the reefs may be able to regain overall pre-bleaching health.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/cordioea.net\/bleaching_resilience\/wio-bleaching-2016\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bleaching in the Western Indian Ocean<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find out how to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blueventures.org\/volunteer\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">volunteer with Blue Ventures<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":7810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,471,478],"tags":[618,509,499,512,529,516,511],"class_list":["post-7964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-velondriake-madagascar","category-volunteer-expeditions","category-volunteer-stories","tag-bleaching","tag-climate-change","tag-coral-reef","tag-expeditions-2","tag-madagascar-2","tag-marine-research","tag-volunteering"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1382\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1037\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Guest author\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@blueventures\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@blueventures\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Guest author\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guest author\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3\"},\"headline\":\"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":782,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/media\\\/2016\\\/06\\\/DSCN1725-web.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"bleaching\",\"climate change\",\"coral reef\",\"expeditions\",\"madagascar\",\"marine research\",\"volunteering\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Velondriake\",\"Volunteer Expeditions\",\"Volunteer Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\",\"name\":\"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/media\\\/2016\\\/06\\\/DSCN1725-web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3\"},\"description\":\"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/media\\\/2016\\\/06\\\/DSCN1725-web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/media\\\/2016\\\/06\\\/DSCN1725-web.jpg\",\"width\":1382,\"height\":1037,\"caption\":\"Photo: Abigail Leadbeater\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog\",\"description\":\"Voices from the front line of marine conversation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3\",\"name\":\"Guest author\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guest author\"},\"description\":\"We regularly invite guest authors, including expedition volunteers, independent researchers, medical elective students and former staff to contribute to the Beyond Conservation blog.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/guest\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog","description":"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog","og_description":"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/","og_site_name":"Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog","article_published_time":"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1382,"height":1037,"url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Guest author","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@blueventures","twitter_site":"@blueventures","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Guest author","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/"},"author":{"name":"Guest author","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3"},"headline":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching","datePublished":"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/"},"wordCount":782,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg","keywords":["bleaching","climate change","coral reef","expeditions","madagascar","marine research","volunteering"],"articleSection":["Velondriake","Volunteer Expeditions","Volunteer Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/","name":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg","datePublished":"2016-08-03T10:27:59+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-05T09:12:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3"},"description":"Our Andavadoaka volunteer Sophie Plant, who has now seen coral bleaching firsthand, shares her knowledge on the role of El Ni\u00f1o in global bleaching events","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/06\/DSCN1725-web.jpg","width":1382,"height":1037,"caption":"Photo: Abigail Leadbeater"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/el-nino-explained-global-weather-phenomenon-contributes-coral-bleaching\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"El Ni\u00f1o explained: The global weather phenomenon that contributes to coral bleaching"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/","name":"Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog","description":"Voices from the front line of marine conversation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/03af0328e8fa283043b98b5af6bc1dc3","name":"Guest author","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b16ca02b7cc5fd761aae7db86d1128e1d097a29a07f58c89b90870ce7e0822b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guest author"},"description":"We regularly invite guest authors, including expedition volunteers, independent researchers, medical elective students and former staff to contribute to the Beyond Conservation blog.","url":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/author\/guest\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}