<h1>A hurricane in 2018 destroyed one of Hawaii's most beautiful coral reefs. </h1>
In new photos taken this month, Hawaii's Rapture Reef is very different from a year ago.
When a team of scientists, including reef ecologist Randall Onzaki, arrived at the famous reef by boat, they repeatedly checked their positioning systems, and the scene in front of them made them wonder if they had gone to the wrong place.
Coral reefs photographed this month
He was impressed that The Reef of Ecstasy was once the most beautiful coral reef in all of Hawaii. "It's an incredible coral garden with thousands of colorful fish."
The original coral reef was once full of life
But now, it's all gone. "It looks like a parking lot, and there's not even rubble left."
Climate change has led to more frequent hurricanes
Ozaki is the deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in charge of the reserve. Last October, Category 5 Hurricane Varaka swept through the area, destroying coral reefs and even erasing an island from the map.
Most of the archipelagos that extend westward from the Hawaiian Archipelago are uninhabited, so this is the first time researchers have had the opportunity to look up close below surface.
"Until then, we could only rely on satellite imagery, but many coral reefs are located 80-100 feet (24-30 meters) below sea level," Ozaki said. ”
Based on previous cases of reefs being damaged by extreme weather or coral bleaching, he estimates it may take 10 to 20 years for the reef to fully recover.
Corals are resilient, but their survival is becoming increasingly difficult due to the impact of climate change.
Now, strong hurricanes like Varaka are becoming more frequent. Coral reefs can take decades to recover after a major weather accident, and reefs like Ecstasy Reef could be hit by another storm or coral bleaching before having a chance to fully recover from the trauma of the last one.
A year ago, the reef had grown a 15-foot-tall "hill-like structure," Ozaki said, but the enormous pressure from Hurricane Valaka flattened it to the ground.
These reefs were once home to thousands of colorful fish. But when the corals disappear, everything is gone.
Monitoring the recovery of these reefs," he said, "will support me through my retirement."
The name of the National Marine Sanctuary combines two celestial gods in the Hawaiian tradition, Papahanaumoku and Wakia, meaning Mother Earth and Father of the Sky.
This tradition teaches that all life originated in polyps in the first place, Ozaki said, and is not much different from the theory of evolution. Cultural and natural resources are mutually reinforcing and integrated for Hawaiians.
Text/Jiang Sijia
Graph/Network
【DAILY MEDIA】