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More model informationA coral colony at Higgs Beach, Key West, bleached from too-warm, near-shore water. Corals get their color from zooxanthellae algae that live, in a symbiotic relationship, inside their cells and produce nutrients through photosynthesis. When ocean temperatures rise too high, the algae begin to produce harmful compounds, so the corals eject them. Without their colorful zooxanthellae, the corals “bleach” to a ghostly white. Corals can survive in a bleached state for a short period, but they are stressed and undernourished while so. If the waters do not cool sufficiently so they can re-admit the algae, the corals will eventually die.
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