Chasing Coral

This important documentary serves as a wake up call to deniers of man made climate change and also to those who just don't see the need for concern. It takes the time to teach us about basic coral anatomy, their reliance on zooplankton, and then chronicles the surging ocean temperatures and the direct correlation with the death of entire swaths of reef. This film will make you cry as it makes you come to grips with the reality of climate change. Watch it, and then share it with others too, to help educate those too distracted to understand the calamity we're witnessing.

While it doesn't go into ocean acidification, that is where I'd challenge the viewer to explore next. It's not a counter theory, but rather the two are interrelated.

If you had this pending, go watch it now! It is everything a documentary must be. The production is awesome, same as the put together, facts and striking footage. If you love nature in any form, I warn you this could leave you crying hard and wanting to make everyone around you WAKE UP!! I can't even start imagining how all those places are right now, after more than a year of all this. We're killing our planet and corals are showing it in a breathtaking speed. Watch this and share it with everyone you can share it with.

Another sad but true reality. Can you explain to your grand children what you do when the coral still exist in this world?

Incredible how our ocean its changed :( we are still in time to save our planet!!!

Whether you have spent vacation time snorkeling, watched the National Geographic channel, or even paid a bit of attention during high school science class, you likely have some level of understanding of what a vital ecosystem coral reefs are to Ocean life. Director Jeff Orlowski has a track record of important environmental documentaries with his 2012 Chasing Ice. Both of these movies have been well received at Sundance and other film festivals, as well as by scientific experts.

Mr. Orlowski was contacted by underwater photographer Richard Vevers once the Vevers team recognized the accelerated breakdown of corals as the ocean water temperature rose slightly. The film takes us to such places as The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Florida Keys, American Somoa, Hawaii, Bermuda and the Bahamas. The obvious message is that concern exists around the globe, not just in one particular locale.

The film does an excellent job of defining and explaining the importance of coral, and once Zach Rago is introduced, the energy and passion jump significantly. A charming, self-described "coral nerd", he is also an extremely knowledgeable and committed scientist dedicated to saving this ecosystem that he worships, and he understands the important role it plays to all life.

Little doubt exists that those involved fully believe carbon emissions are to blame for the warming waters resulting in coral bleaching and finally coral death. They also believe that by reducing said emissions, there is still time to prevent the total global coral destruction predicted for the next quarter century.

If the film has any misguided moments, it would be related to the screen time spent on the challenges and frustrations associated with underwater time-lapse photography, especially from a hardware standpoint. As viewers, we are far more interested in the coral endangerment and the photography shots that do exist … especially some of the stunning before/after looks as coral reefs are quickly destroyed.

A trip to the Coral Convention provides us a glimpse at how research and information is shared by those who are working on this and other environmental issues. With limited resources, it's crucial that access to information is available to those who need it. Finally, the film leaves us with a reminder that forests, reefs, and other ecosystems are all vital to our lives; and while the current path is quite saddening, there is optimism that we have time to stop the damage if we act now.