Bleached fire and Porites coral, scuba diving footage, white dying coral

The Soft World of Pale Coral.

This scuba diving footage captures a stark underwater scene dominated by bleached fire and Porites corals, with their skeleton-like branches spreading outward in unique patterns. The coral heads, once vibrant, now appear white and lifeless against the deep blue background, illustrating the impact of bleaching. At the base of the bleached branches, clusters of stony Porites corals rise, forming rough, rounded shapes on the reef structure. A lone fish swims by in the distance, adding a sense of movement to the otherwise still and desolate coral formation. This video clip offers a close view of the dying coral structures, highlighting the fragility of marine ecosystems.

Colorless Corals Suffering from Bleaching on 4K Underwater Shot.

This close-up, slow-motion footage of a lionfish swimming near bleached corals was captured in ultra-high-definition 4K and available in HD (1080p), this footage was shot with high-quality professional equipment for precise detail. Provided as free stock footage to raise awareness of coral bleaching and climate impact, it is available in both landscape (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats, suitable for social media platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts, as well as widescreen presentations. This footage is ideal for environmental awareness campaigns, NGO projects, and educational materials focused on coral conservation and climate science.

Corals serve as climate recorders through their annual growth rings, similar to tree rings. Each year, coral polyps deposit a layer of calcium carbonate, which captures data on sea surface temperatures, salinity, and water chemistry at the time of formation. By extracting and examining core samples from coral skeletons, scientists can analyze these growth bands and their chemical composition to reconstruct past climate conditions, providing insights into environmental shifts dating back hundreds to thousands of years. This footage illustrates how corals serve as crucial climate archives, emphasizing the importance of protecting coral reefs not only for biodiversity but also for the historical climate data they provide.