What is Coral Bleaching and Why is it Bad News for Coral Reefs?

Coral reefs are beautiful, vibrant ecosystems and a cornerstone of a healthy ocean. Often called the “rainforests of the sea,” they support an extraordinary diversity of marine life from fish and crustaceans to mollusks, sea turtles and more. Although reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, they provide critical habitat for roughly 25% of all ocean species.

Coral reefs are also essential to human wellbeing. These structures reduce the force of waves before they reach shore, providing communities with vital protection from extreme weather such as hurricanes and cyclones. It is estimated that reefs safeguard hundreds of millions of people in more than 100 countries. 

What is coral bleaching?

A key component of coral reefs are coral polyps—tiny soft bodied animals related to jellyfish and anemones. What we think of as coral reefs are actually colonies of hundreds to thousands of individual polyps. In hard corals, these tiny animals produce a rigid skeleton made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The calcium carbonate provides a hard outer structure that protects the soft parts of the coral. These hard corals are the primary building blocks of coral reefs, unlike their soft coral relatives that don’t secrete any calcium carbonate.

Coral reefs get their bright colors from tiny algae called zooxanthellae. The coral polyps themselves are transparent, and they depend on zooxanthellae for food. In return, the coral polyp provides the zooxanethellae with shelter and protection, a symbiotic relationship that keeps the greater reefs healthy and thriving.

When corals experience stress, like pollution and ocean warming, they can expel their zooxanthellae. Without the zooxanthellae, corals lose their color and turn white, a process known as coral bleaching. If bleaching continues for too long, the coral reef can starve and die.

Ocean warming and coral bleaching

Human-driven stressors, especially ocean warming, threaten the long-term survival of coral reefs. An alarming 77% of the world’s reef areas are already affected by bleaching-level heat stress.

The Great Barrier Reef is a stark example of the catastrophic impacts of coral bleaching. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of 3,000 reefs and is home to thousands of species of marine life. In 2025, the Great Barrier Reef experienced its sixth mass bleaching since 2016. It should also be noted that coral bleaching events are a new thing because of ocean warming, with the first documented in 1998.

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How you can help

The planet is changing rapidly, and the stakes have never been higher. The ocean has absorbed roughly 90% of the excess heat caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and the consequences, including coral die-offs, are already visible. With just 2℃ of planetary warming, global coral reef losses are estimated to be up to 99% — and without significant change, the world is on track for 2.8°C of warming by century’s end.

To stop coral bleaching, we need to address the climate crisis head on. A recent study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography was the first of its kind to include damage to ocean ecosystems into the economic cost of climate change – resulting in nearly a doubling in the social cost of carbon. This is the first time the ocean was considered in terms of economic harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions, despite the widespread degradation to ocean ecosystems like coral reefs and the millions of people impacted globally.

This is why Ocean Conservancy advocates for phasing out harmful offshore oil and gas and transitioning to clean ocean energy.  In this endeavor, Ocean Conservancy also leads international efforts to eliminate emissions from the global shipping industry—responsible for roughly 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year.

But we cannot do this work without your help. We need leaders at every level to recognize that the ocean must be part of the solution to the climate crisis. Reach out to your elected officials and demand ocean-climate action now.

The post What is Coral Bleaching and Why is it Bad News for Coral Reefs? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

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What is a Snipe Eel?

From the chilly corners of the polar seas to the warm waters of the tropics, our ocean is bursting with spectacular creatures. This abundance of biodiversity can be seen throughout every depth of the sea: Wildlife at every ocean zone have developed adaptations to thrive in their unique environments, and in the deep sea, these adaptations are truly fascinating.

Enter: the snipe eel.

What Does a Snipe Eel Look Like?

These deep-sea eels have a unique appearance. Snipe eels have long, slim bodies like other eels, but boast the distinction of having 700 vertebrae—the most of any animal on Earth. While this is quite a stunning feature, their heads set them apart in even more dramatic fashion. Their elongated, beak-like snouts earned them their namesake, strongly resembling that of a snipe (a type of wading shorebird). For similar reasons, these eels are also sometimes called deep-sea ducks or thread fish.

How Many Species of Snipe Eel are There?

There are nine documented species of snipe eels currently known to science, with the slender snipe eel (Nemichthys scolopaceus) being the most studied. They are most commonly found 1,000 to 2,000 feet beneath the surface in tropical to temperate areas around the world, but sightings of the species have been documented at depths exceeding 14,000 feet (that’s more than two miles underwater)!

How Do Snipe Eels Hunt and Eat?

A snipe eel’s anatomy enables them to be highly efficient predators. While their exact feeding mechanisms aren’t fully understood, it’s thought that they wiggle through the water while slinging their beak-like heads back and forth with their mouths wide open, catching prey from within the water column (usually small invertebrates like shrimp) on their hook-shaped teeth.

How Can Snipe Eels Thrive So Well in Dark Depths of the Sea?

Snipe eels’ jaws aren’t the only adaptation that allows them to thrive in the deep, either. They also have notably large eyes designed to help them see nearby prey or escape potential predators as efficiently as possible. Their bodies are also pigmented a dark grey to brown color, a coloring that helps them stay stealthy and blend into dark, dim waters. Juveniles are even harder to spot than adults; like other eel species, young snipe eels begin their lives as see-through and flat, keeping them more easily hidden from predators as they mature.

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How Much Do Scientists Really Know About Snipe Eels?

Residence in the deep sea makes for a fascinating appearance, but it also makes studying animals like snipe eels challenging. Scientists are still learning much about the biology of these eels, including specifics about their breeding behaviors.  While we know snipe eels are broadcast spawners (females release eggs into the water columns at the same time as males release sperm) and they are thought to only spawn once, researchers are still working to understand if they spawn in groups or pairs. Beyond reproduction, there’s much that science has yet to learn about these eels.

Are Snipe Eels Endangered?

While the slender snipe eel is currently classified as “Least Concern” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, what isn’t currently known is whether worldwide populations are growing or decreasing. And in order to know how to best protect these peculiar yet equally precious creatures, it’s essential we continue to study them while simultaneously working to protect the deep-sea ecosystems they depend on.

How Can We Help Protect Deep-Sea Species Like Snipe Eels?

One thing we can do to protect the deep sea and the wildlife that thrive within it is to advocate against deep-sea mining and the dangers that accompany it. This type of mining extracts mineral deposits from the ocean floor and has the potential to result in disastrous environmental consequences. Take action with Ocean Conservancy today and urge your congressional representative to act to stop deep-sea mining—animals like snipe eels and all the amazing creatures of the deep are counting on us to act before it’s too late.

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5 Animals That Need Sea Ice to Thrive

Today, we’re getting in the winter spirit by spotlighting five remarkable marine animals that depend on cold and icy environments to thrive.

1. Narwhals

Narwhals are often called the “unicorns of the sea” because of their long, spiraled tusk. Here are a few more fascinating facts about them:

• Believe it or not, their tusk is actually a tooth used for sensing their environment and sometimes for sparring.
• Narwhals are whales. While many whale species migrate south in the winter, narwhals spend their entire lives in the frigid waters of the circumpolar Arctic near Canada, Greenland and Russia.
• Sea ice provides narwhals with protection as they travel through unfamiliar waters.

2. Walruses

Walruses are another beloved Arctic species with remarkable adaptations for surviving the cold:

• Walruses stay warm with a thick layer of blubber that insulates their bodies from icy air and water.
• Walruses can slow their heart rate to conserve energy and withstand freezing temperatures both in and out of the water.
• Walruses use sea ice to rest between foraging dives. It also provides a vital and safe platform for mothers to nurse and care for their young.

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3. Polar Bears

Polar bears possess several unique traits that help them thrive in the icy Arctic:

• Although polar bear fur appears white, each hair is hollow and transparent, reflecting light much like ice.
• Beneath their thick coats, polar bears have black skin that absorbs heat from the sun. This helps keep polar bears warm in their icy habitat.
• Polar bears rely on sea ice platforms to access their primary prey, seals, which they hunt at breathing holes in the ice.

4. Penguins

Penguins are highly adapted swimmers that thrive in icy waters, but they are not Arctic animals:

• Penguins live exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, mainly Antarctica, meaning they do not share the frigid northern waters with narwhals, walruses and polar bears.
• Penguins spend up to 75% of their lives in the water and are built for efficient aquatic movement.
• Sea ice provides a stable platform for nesting and incubation, particularly for species like the Emperor penguin, which relies on sea ice remaining intact until chicks are old enough to fledge.

5. Seals

Seals are a diverse group of carnivorous marine mammals found in both polar regions:

• There are 33 seal species worldwide, with some living in the Arctic and others in the Antarctic.
• There are two groups of seals: Phocidae (true seals) and Otariidae (sea lions and fur seals). The easiest way to tell seals and sea lions apart is by their ears: true seals have ear holes with no external flaps, while sea lions and fur seals have small external ear flaps.
• Seals need sea ice for critical life functions including pupping, nursing and resting. They also use ice for molting—a process in which they shed their fur in the late spring or early summer.

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Defend the Central Arctic Ocean Action

Some of these cold-loving animals call the North Pole home, while others thrive in the polar south. No matter where they live, these marine marvels rely on sea ice for food, safety, movement and survival.

Unfortunately, a rapidly changing climate is putting critical polar ecosystems, like the Central Arctic Ocean, at risk. That is why Ocean Conservancy is fighting to protect the Central Arctic Ocean from threats like carbon shipping emissions, deep-sea mining and more. Take action now to help us defend the Central Arctic Ocean.

Learn more

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Celebrating Ocean Victories of 2025

When reflecting on conversations with my Ocean Conservancy colleagues, the word that repeatedly comes to mind to describe this year for us is fortitude.

Collaboration and courage for our ocean have anchored our work despite disappointing walk-backs in climate policy, disastrous proposed cuts to NOAA and deeply unsettling research that shows just how costly plastics ingestion is for marine life.

And through these challenges, we continued to do what we’ve done through 26 Congresses, 10 Presidencies and almost 55 years: we worked in the United States and around the world to achieve impact for our ocean.

Thanks to ocean lovers like you, together we made some incredible strides this year in each of our three pillars—ending ocean plastics, protecting biodiversity and advancing climate solutions. All these victories are worth celebrating.

Ending ocean plastics

Ending ocean plastics

In September, Ocean Conservancy staff and supporters around the country and across the world gathered at coasts, rivers and lakes and beyond for the 40th annual International Coastal Cleanup®  (ICC). This milestone of removing 400 million pounds of debris would not be possible without the 19 million volunteers who shared their time to clean up a local waterway throughout the past four decades.

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative® (GGGI) celebrated 10 years of education and action to remove ghost gear from our ocean. This powerful, worldwide project has strong engagement with fishermen and marine experts to tackle the overwhelming amount of abandoned fishing gear that ends up in our waters, where it entangles and even kills ocean life. We’re seeing incredible results as more countries and communities work to reduce harmful deep-sea debris.

Both the ICC and GGGI initiatives are significant solutions to curbing the complex plastics pollution problem. This year, our science team, in partnership with our global academic collaborators, laid out just how vital it is that we continue these cleanup efforts.

Ocean Conservancy released a pioneering new report on the impact of plastic ingestion on marine animals. This groundbreaking report is the most complete mortality risk assessment on microplastic ingestion in marine life ever conducted. It outlines the stark reality of plastic pollution: even a small amount of plastic can be deadly for our ocean animals. With this new research, Ocean Conservancy can continue to champion policies that eliminate this risk and preserve vital ocean species.

Protecting biodiversity

Protecting biodiversity

To ensure we can continue building strong relationships across political and regional divides, we rely on incredible leaders across our organization to represent Ocean Conservancy’s mission to the world. One of those leaders, Wáahlaal Gíidaak, Vice President of Arctic & Northern Waters, was chosen as a 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leader in September of this year at New York Climate Week.

Leaders like Wáahlaal Gíidaak are committed to protecting vital ocean ecosystems in partnership with the Indigenous peoples who have long stewarded and depended on these special places. One of those places is the Central Arctic Ocean, a 1.1 million square mile ecosystem around the North Pole. Thanks to Ocean Conservancy, nations previously adopted a groundbreaking moratorium on commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean. Now, we are working to expand that protection to also ban shipping and deep-sea mining in this unique ecosystem.

Another vital place on Ocean Conservancy’s radar is the twilight zone. Formally known as the mesopelagic zone, this band of ocean 200 to 1,000 meters deep is home to the vast majority of ocean fish. These fish are vital to the food chain for commercially important species like tuna and play a vital role in locking away carbon that would otherwise fuel worsening climate change. As a crucial early step in protecting the twilight zone, Ocean Conservancy championed a motion at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that was adopted earlier this year.

Advancing climate solutions

Advancing climate solutions

As always, our interdisciplinary and multi-pronged approach to supporting the ocean is rooted in collaboration. At the global climate negotiations, Ocean Conservancy was at the table, ensuring that this was the year that the world finally embraced ocean solutions as essential tools for confronting the climate crisis.

The “Blue NDC Challenge” gained serious momentum: we are proud to have secured pledges from 17 countries to include ocean-based solutions to climate in their national climate plans. Our report—in collaboration with World Resources Institute and Ocean & Climate Platform—revealed that nine out of 10 island and coastal nations now include the ocean in these plans. We will continue to work with countries around the world to turn these commitments into action.

Building more support for the ocean than ever before

None of what we’ve achieved would be possible without ocean lovers like you. We are dedicated to engaging as many people as we can to join Team Ocean. One new way we’re doing that is through our Protect Where We Play (PWWP) initiative. We are overjoyed that less than a year from its launch, the Protect Where We Play Initiative won the Sports Positive Award for inspiring ocean action by collaborating with numerous athletes, artists, celebrities and fans.

As we wave goodbye to another year of impact and momentum building for a cleaner and healthier ocean, we are thankful for the support of ocean lovers like you. You make possible all the incredible victories we’ve achieved for our ocean, and there is still so much to do. We hope you will join us for another year of impact toward a healthier ocean and thriving planet, forever and for everyone. Consider making a gift to Ocean Conservancy—our work is not possible without you.

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COP30 in Belém, Brazil

For two weeks each fall, representatives from all over the world gather for the Conference on Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the primary international body for coordinating global action against climate change. This past November, COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil. While we know climate action is falling short of what’s needed to protect our ocean, it’s hard to walk away from two intense weeks at COP30 and be anything but committed to the road ahead.

At COP30, our Ocean Conservancy delegation hosted outcome-oriented events, observed negotiations and met with champions across governments and civil society to advance ocean-climate action. We are united in our conclusion that 2025 is the year the world finally embraced ocean solutions as essential tools for confronting the climate crisis.

Ocean Conservancy was at the table for this meaningful outcome, and the programs, policies and partnerships we created and championed were at the center of the progress.

Highlights from COP30

• The Blue NDC Challenge gained serious momentum. Under the Paris Agreement, countries submit plans called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) explaining how they will tackle climate change. Launched in 2025 by France and Brazil, and supported by Ocean Conservancy, Ocean & Climate Platform and World Resources Institute, the Blue NDC Challenge is a global call for all Parties to the Paris Agreement to integrate ocean-based climate solutions into their plans, signaling their commitment to accelerate ocean-based mitigation and adaptation actions that deliver benefits for climate, nature and people. By the end of COP30, 17 countries had joined the Challenge. In recognition of the broadening acceptance of ocean-based climate solutions, Brazil and France announced the transition of the Challenge to the Blue NDC Implementation Taskforce to increase the pace of turning these plans into action.
  
• COP30 included the first-ever High-Level Ocean Ministerial—and the room was packed. These High-Level convenings signify global priorities, drawing leaders and decision-makers to align agendas. The momentum for a Ministerial was possible thanks to the Blue NDC Challenge and clear civil society contributions via the “Blue Package,” a roadmap developed to turn ambition on ocean-based climate solutions into action. The founding members of the Blue NDC Challenge—Brazil and France—and four additional Ministers from Blue NDC Challenge countries—Fiji, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Portugal—provided examples of how their nations are implementing ocean-climate solutions. Senior officials from six additional countries also spoke at the Ministerial, with many announcing they’ve joined the Challenge, which brings the total number of countries to 17. (Here is the full list of countries that have joined the challenge: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Palau, Portugal, Seychelles, Singapore and the United Kingdom.)
  
• A report from Ocean Conservancy, World Resources Institute and Ocean & Climate Platform released during COP30 revealed that an increasing number of nations—at least 66 countries, or nine out of 10 island and coastal nations—included the ocean in their NDCs. The report received global attention and helped advance the conversation around the need for countries to focus more on the ocean to mitigate climate change through offshore renewable energy like wind, zero-carbon shipping, decarbonization of aquatic foods, and phaseout of oil and gas. According to the report, these actions account for only 12% of all ocean-climate actions found in NDCs, too small a number when the ocean has such vast potential to help us mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.
  
• Responsible offshore wind development is advancing globally. The opportunity for offshore wind to address climate change is reflected in the COP30 Blue Package, and we continue to build on the Oceans Breakthrough initiative announced by a number of partners, including Ocean Conservancy, at COP28. Ocean Conservancy hosted and spoke at several COP30 side events about the opportunity to deploy offshore renewable energy in ways that balance people, nature and climate. One of our key contributions this year to advancing responsible offshore wind globally is the launch of the Global Initiative for Nature, Grids and Renewables (GINGR) Offshore Working Group Stocktake and Recommendations Report.
  
• The ocean-climate connection was considered throughout negotiations. With the support of the Friends of the Ocean and Climate, a coalition of Parties increasingly committed to seeing ocean-climate outcomes across global climate negotiations, the importance of healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems and ocean-climate solutions was recognized in the outcomes of COP.

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement [underline] the urgent need to address, in a comprehensive and synergetic manner, the interlinked global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and land and ocean degradation in the broader context of achieving sustainable development, as well as the vital importance of protecting, conserving, restoring and sustainably using and managing nature and terrestrial and marine ecosystems for effective and sustainable climate action.

COP30 Global Mutirão

• Brazil’s Presidency of COP30 demonstrated genuine commitment to raising the profile of ocean–climate throughout the conference. Compared to recent years, Indigenous peoples had increased access to the Blue Zone and protests were permitted. Brazil put offshore wind and ocean and coastal ecosystems, like mangroves and coral, at the heart of their NDC. However, as similar with overall climate efforts, there is still much more that needs to be done. The country permitted offshore oil and gas drilling at the mouth of the Amazon River.

We had a long list of goals for COP30, and there was not as much movement on some fronts as others.

But on balance, the event yielded significant progress for ocean-climate action, and the ocean emerged as one of the clearest areas of accelerating climate-change momentum.

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What comes next

Building from the energy coming out of COP30, we are outlining our agenda for the coming year. Here are some key actions and aspirations in our sights.

• Recent decisions have created space to drive policy coherence among the Rio Conventions (Climate, Biodiversity, Desertification). While COP30 negotiations regarding synergies did not advance in a meaningful way, we are hopeful that ongoing negotiations will agree to enhance collaboration between the Conventions since protecting the ocean from climate change and biodiversity loss go hand in hand.

• Despite strong international support and much debate, direct language about phasing out fossil fuels was ultimately absent from the final draft report from COP30. Looking ahead, we are hopeful that the fossil fuel phaseout roadmap, aimed at creating a structured framework for countries to gradually reduce their dependence on coal, oil and natural gas, will advance outside official processes.

• Ocean Conservancy is preparing for the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue in June 2026, when Fiji will join Belgium as Dialogue Co-Facilitator. The most recent co-facilitators, Belgium and Brazil, set an ambitious vision that brought the Dialogue a step closer to fulfilling its mandate to support the integration of the ocean across UNFCCC processes and set a strong foundation for ocean-climate action heading into COP30. We hope to see another ambitious Dialogue that encourages coherence, collaboration and coordination of ocean priorities ahead of COP31.

• The 2026 Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) Forum on Financing Climate Action in Water Systems and the Ocean will cover the full “source to sea” water cycle, recognizing the interconnectedness of water systems and ocean ecosystems. Ocean Conservancy sees the Forum as a timely opportunity to explore new financing pathways under global climate processes to facilitate predictable, targeted support for mitigation, adaptation and resilience-building in marine and coastal systems ahead of COP31. Parties and non-Party stakeholders are invited to submit inputs on the topics and possible sub-themes of the Forum, with submissions due by January 31, 2026.

• Antalya, Turkey, emerged as the host city for COP31, while Australia will lead the negotiations process in 2026. The roles have never been split between two nations. Ocean Conservancy remains optimistic that COP31 will be even more ocean-centric, and that a “blue” COP focused on marine challenges and solutions will swiftly follow.
  
• While there was progress at COP30, much-needed calls remain for greater ambition in advancing protections for a healthy ocean and the implementation of ocean-climate solutions. Our Ocean Conservancy team is eager to work with Australia and the Pacific, the Friends of the Ocean and Climate, and leaders in civil society to define what comes next for ocean-climate solutions in the UNFCCC overall agenda and its financing mechanisms.

Ten years after Paris, Belém reminded us of what’s possible. The world is finally embracing ocean solutions as essential tools for confronting the climate crisis. Now it is up to governments, civil society, funders and communities to work together to scale them—boldly, equitably and urgently. Add your name and urge decisionmakers to take ocean-climate action now.

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