A recent study conducted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed that warming temperatures are threatening coral reefs in the northern hemisphere, including several in United State waters.

NOAA stated that the unusual rise in temperatures can lead to coral bleaching, a phenomenon that sees coral releasing the symbiotic algae that lives within it, turning the coral pale or white.

Scientists with NOAA said in this process the major source of food gets eliminated and the coral is left back more vulnerable to disease.

Mark Eakin, coordinator of the NOAA Coral Reef Watch, said, “The bleaching that started in June 2014 has been really bad for corals in the western Pacific. We are worried that bleaching will spread to the western Atlantic and again into Hawaii”.

Experts showing concerns over the issue said if the bleaching kept on occurring again this year, then it would mark the first time when it had occurred in consecutive years in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Scientists pointed out that reef loss caused from coral bleaching also has a long-term affect, as coral reefs normally take decades to recover. Dead reefs degrade as erosion destroys the structures the corals have painstakingly built up.

Apart from Hawaii, Florid has also experienced warmer temperatures, which affects coral nurseries in the Florida Keys. Researchers in these nurseries have attempted to grow threatened species of coral for harvesting and transplanting onto local reef systems.

Eakin said that some more bleaching this year could be disastrous for corals that are attempting to recover from last year's warming stress.

Eakin said many healthy, resilient coral reefs can withstand bleaching as long as they have time to recover. But when repeated bleaching occurs it gets very hard for the corals to recover and survive.