ATHENS — The world is currently undergoing its fourth global bleaching event, with coral bleaching occurring in the territorial waters of more than 50 countries, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S. and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). Since February 2023, more than 54% of the world’s coral reef areas have experienced heat stress that causes bleaching, making this the second most spatially extensive bleaching event on record. The largest bleaching event to date occurred between 2014 and 2017 when more than 56% of the world’s reefs experienced heat stress that led to bleaching. However, according to Derek Manzello, the coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, a program that uses satellite data to help identify bleaching events, the current event will likely surpass this previous record since “the percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress has been increasing by roughly 1% per week.” Global coral bleaching events also occurred in 1998 and 2010, when bleaching occurred in 20% and 35% of coral reef areas respectively. “This should be viewed as another very urgent global warning on the state of ocean health,” Manzello told Mongabay in an email. “Coral reefs and other marine ecosystems are experiencing severe and devastating impacts as the oceans continue to warm.” Coral bleaching happens when sea temperatures rise to a level that stresses the coral reefs, driving them to expel their life-sustaining and colorful algae, which turns them ghostly white. While corals can recover from bleaching, prolonged…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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