Six Months After the Heat Spiked, Caribbean Corals Are Still Reeling – Hakai Magazine

Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) in Bonaire, Caribbean Neatherlands, taken on January 21, 2024 (by Tom Murray CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED via Flickr).

For many Caribbean corals, last year’s heat proved too much to bear. The more time corals spend in hot water, the more likely they are to bleach, turning white as they expel the single-celled algae that live within their tissues. Without these symbiotic algae—and the energy they provide through photosynthesis—bleached corals starve. Survival becomes a struggle, and what had been a healthy thicket of colorful coral can turn into a tangle of skeletons…

The “Vanité” Series by 1011

"Vanité" Series by 1011 highlights the climate crisis and fragility of life as average global temperatures rise. Upper row: Hydrangea at +2.8º C, finished piece process images; Lower row: Buttercup at 1.5º C, finished piece and process images (colored pencils and pencil highlight) 2022, Adagp © 1011, used with permission.

“A humble flower is the labor of centuries.” – William Blake from the Artist’s Statement:“The title (of this collection): “Vanité” refers to the pride of Men who, like Icarus, think they can conquer nature through technological omnipotence industrialization, while in truth, only offer death…” Tulip at +2.1ºC in the “Vanité” series by 1011 (colored pencils and […]