As ocean water heats up, swaths of once-technicolor coral reefs have begun turning white, putting ecosystems across the globe at risk.
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Coral Reef Initiative announced on Monday that the world is undergoing its fourth global coral bleaching event, marking the second such occurrence in the last decade. According to Derek Manzello, coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program, scientists have documented significant coral bleaching across every major ocean since early last year.
The current bleaching event, caused by long-lasting high ocean temperatures, has hit reefs in more than 53 countries and territories and 54 percent of all areas with reefs. Some places, such the Caribbean, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and large parts of the South Pacific, began documenting widespread bleaching in early 2023. Now, with recent reports from countries along the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic confirming that none of the four major ocean basins have been left untouch... Read more
