# Climate change shifts colors we see > Coral bleaches, Arctic greens, lakes darken as climate change alters natural colors. - Title: Climate change shifts colors we see · NPR | Shortify - Summary: Coral bleaches, Arctic greens, lakes darken as climate change alters natural colors. - Keywords: coral bleaching, arctic greening, lake color change, permafrost thaw, climate change, coral reefs, warming ocean, boreal forests, shrub expansion, lake color, orchid bees, NPR - Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/11/08/nx-s1-5393776/color-climate-change-coral-lakes - Read time: 1 min - Topics: coral bleaching, arctic greening, lake color change, permafrost thaw, climate change, coral reefs, warming ocean, boreal forests, shrub expansion, lake color, orchid bees, news ## Coral bleaching Warming ocean waters bleach vibrant coral to white, making them vulnerable to disease and death. > Many young scientists who are working on coral reefs don’t realize that what they’re seeing is vastly degraded ## Arctic greening Arctic vegetation has become greener since 2000, with 38% of sites showing increased greenness between 1985 and 2016. > Not everywhere in the Arctic is green, but there’s enough greening that if you look at the average greenness of the Arctic over time, it’s going up ## Permafrost thaw Thawing permafrost releases nutrients, enabling deeper plant roots and greener landscapes in some areas. > As permafrost thaws deeper into the soil, nutrients become more available and plants can grow deeper roots ## Lake darkening Green wavelengths in lakes have declined by 15% since 1984, making lakes darker and storing more heat. > Researchers found that green values declined by 15% between 1984 and 2019, meaning that, to the naked eye, these lakes got significantly darker ## Orchid bees Champion orchid bees are shifting from blue-green to orange-red as temperatures rise in Costa Rica. > Year after year, Suni noticed that one species of bee, the champion’s orchid bee, seemed to shift color from blue-green to orange-red ## Coral fluorescence Stressed corals produce colorful pigments as a protective response before bleaching. > A 2020 study in Current Biology found that this excess light encourages coral to produce the shockingly colorful pigments ## Bleaching impacts Fewer colorful fish are found in reefs after bleaching events, reducing reef diversity and color. > A 2022 study in Global Change Biology found that fewer fish with colorful bodies were found in the Great Barrier Reef following a specific bleaching event ## Arctic warming The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with increased soot pollution from wildfires. > We know that the high northern latitudes are warming faster than the rest of the planet ## Soot pollution Soot from wildfires coats Arctic ice, accelerating melting and sea level rise. > The dark particles coat white snow and soak up heat from the sun, exacerbating melting that was already happening more quickly because of climate change ## Blue lakes Approximately 31% of Earth’s lakes are blue, found in cooler regions with winter ice cover. > Globally, approximately 31% of the Earth’s lakes are blue ## Coral recovery Corals that bleach colorfully have a higher chance of recovery, but climate change reduces recovery opportunities. > So the scope for recovery is low ## Color change effects Shrubs expanding in Arctic regions can shade berry patches, affecting food sources for local communities. > As shrubs expand across northern lands, they can shade out berry patches that people rely on for food ## Dragonfly color North American male dragonflies have lost color on wings to stay cooler in warmer climates. > North American male dragonflies have adapted to warmer climates by losing color on their wings ## Climate change impacts Climate change is altering the colors we see in nature, from bleached corals to darker lakes. > Color can be a fleeting, subjective thing, simply how one perceives light reflecting off a surface ## Key takeaway Climate change is causing coral to bleach, Arctic vegetation to green, and lakes to darken, altering the colors we see in nature.