'Should Be a Global Wake-Up Call': Coral Reefs Suffer Fourth Mass Bleaching Event

Scientists said Monday that the world's coral reefs are facing a fourth global bleaching event as the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency pushes ocean temperatures to record highs, imperiling the critical underwater ecosystems that sustain thousands of species. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Coral Reef Initiative —which

co-chairs—said they documented coral bleaching in the northern and southern hemispheres of every major ocean basin on Earth between February 2023 and April of this year. It could be the worst global bleaching event on record. 'Since early 2023, mass bleaching of coral reefs has been confirmed throughout the tropics including Florida in the U.S.

has received confirmation of widespread bleaching across other parts of the Indian Ocean basin as well, including in Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Tromelin, Mayotte, and off the western coast of Indonesia,' they added. 'More than half the reefs on the planet have basically experienced bleaching-level heat stress in the last year.' Derek Manzello, coordinator of

's Coral Reef Watch, said that 'as the world's oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent.' Excessively warm water causes corals to expel algae from their tissues, causing the organisms to turn white. While they can recover, such bleaching is evidence that corals are under significant stress and at risk of death.

and ICRI's statement comes as scientists around the world are voicing growing alarm over high ocean temperatures. Research released last month showed that global ocean surface temperatures had broken records every day of the year up to that point, underscoring the need to aggressively rein in fossil fuel production and use. 'Temperatures are off the charts,' Emily Darling, director of coral reefs at the Wildlife Conservation Society, said Monday.

Conservation Coral Reefs Environment Fossil Fuels Global Warming Noaa Wildlife Conservation Society Coral Bleaching

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