Coral reefs, including those near Australia, Kenya, and Mexico, face severe bleaching, marking the fourth global event in thirty years.
Since February 2023, over 54 countries link rising ocean temperatures to climate change, per NOAA Coral Reef Watch.
Derek Manzello, Coral Reef Watch coordinator, notes severe heat stress now endangers over half the world’s reefs, causing bleaching.
Global events occur when significant bleaching impacts the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans within a year.
This year, an El Niño event, which raises sea temperatures, pushed ocean surface temperatures to record highs since 1979.
Marine ecologist Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip notes potential irreversible reef damage from intense heat.
He states the scientific community struggles to predict outcomes for stressed corals.
Frequent bleaching contests models predicting 70 to 90% coral loss if temperatures rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The planet has warmed approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius. A 2022 IPCC report indicates this warming is sufficient to severely damage coral ecosystems.
Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event Raises Concerns
Ecologist David Obura warns that coral reefs might have passed a critical threshold.
“We’ve likely passed the tipping point,” he declares, emphasizing that only substantial CO2 emission reductions can stop their decline.
NOAA predicts this year’s bleaching may be the worst yet. Last summer, Caribbean reefs and Florida corals suffered greatly from heat shock.
Pacific and Indian Ocean reefs face extreme stress, with Neal Cantin noting significant issues in the Great Barrier Reef.
This is its fifth major bleaching in nine years, more frequent than predicted. Early monsoons have somewhat eased impacts on nearby Indian Ocean reefs.