He added that in case the current conditions go on, a catastrophe is expected.

“Unfortunately, the color of above 80 percent of coral reefs has turned white and this will end into serious problems for the next generations,” Kalantari said.

He urged Iran Veterinary Organization to take the required measures to prevent the disaster.

Shallow-waters growing Persian Gulf corals need sunlight to survive; however, with global warming spiking in recent years, corals have entered a process of gradual death.

Research shows that Persian Gulf is home to different species of corals which have not survived the harmful effects of global warming, and a deadly white hue indicates the shadow of a gradual death looming around.

In mid-September, 2015, the time head of Qeshm Free Economic Zone tells Mehr News local correspondent that a growing temperature of Persian Gulf waters had contributed to bleach —a process in which corals expel their symbiotic algae living in their tissue, causing them to turn white and increasing their vulnerability to disease and death— of the corals; Mohammad Hashem Dakhteh adds further that rising water temperatures have a grave danger for bleaching; “research indicates declining resistance to rising temperatures in water especially in summers; according to global surveillance of earth temperatures, a spot in Persian Gulf has been detected as the hottest spot on earth, and if the trend continues, we will see the dying out of the corals anytime soon,” he adds, “in recent summers, bleaching has been only partial, and with summers passing, they usually recover their natural hues; however, with continuous bleaching along with increased vulnerability, now more resistant species also undergo bleaching, and there are concerns that the bleaching would be permanent, thus causing coral death.”

MNA/ 4737213