Many of the world's top marine scientists are growing more concerned about a dwindling coral reef supply that has been hampered in recent times by such developments as El Nino and global warming.

The matter seemed topic No. 1 at a recent International Coral Reef Symposium where experts tried to devise the kind of political and financial plan needed to mount the level of campaign needed to preserve such a valuable part of the ecosystem.

Federal officials characterized the global coral bleaching phenomena that began two years ago as ongoing, adding that it is already the longest-lasting and largest such period ever recorded.

Bleaching Conditions Expected to Remain High

Meanwhile, all of the reefs from the northern hemisphere that includes the United States are expected to experience another season of bleaching, with places like Hawaii and Florida having already suffered two straight years of such severe conditions..

"It's not likely to be as severe as last year, but time will tell," said Mark Eakin, coordinator for NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program. "It's very important for the managers to be ready for the fact that this may be a third year of bleaching."

Already, consecutive years of coral bleaching have led to some of the most deadly years on record, leaving scientists in a desperate race to save all the remaining reefs they can.

According to Eakin, Pacific Islands face the biggest dangers as more warn weather pushes water westward. Many of those islands have come to depend on reefs as means of sustenance and economic value to tourism.

Other factors thought to be contributing to the situation are dirtier waters, which ultimately drains from reefs the level of algae needed to provide them with essential nutrients. This causes the corals to lose all their bright colors and calcify.

"Local conservation buys us time, but it isn't enough," said Jennifer Koss, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program director. "Globally, we need to better understand what actions we all can take to combat the effects of climate change."

International Society for Reef studies and director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Ruth Gates insisted she thinks it's time scientists stress just how "intimately reef health is intertwined with human health."

Gates, who helped organize the Honolulu-held coral reef symposium added, with the help of the government, researchers need to be focused on large scale solutions.

Reefs Essential to Humans Everyday Existence

Beyond helping to beautify regions of the globe known for tourism, coral reefs are an essential part of the ecosystem and are a significant part to everyday human existence.

Reefs provide shelter for most ocean fish, which are readily consumed by humans and they also protect land from storm urges and rising sea levels. Coral reefs have even been found to hold some medicinal properties.

With all that in mind, researchers at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology have commenced taking samples from corals that have shown an ability to survive harsher conditions and breeding them with other strong strains in warmer than normal conditions.

The aim of the project is to make corals more resilient by training them in infancy to adapt to more grueling conditions. Another program involves creating seed banks and a fast-growing coral nursery for expediting restoration projects

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