Global coral bleaching is worst on record

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Mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world since February 2023 has become the largest on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported.

The data is based on an analysis of satellite imagery, which showed that 77% of the area of ​​coral reefs around the world was subject to “heat stress”, which causes bleaching. The main driver of the bleaching is global warming, which is increasing average ocean temperatures.

Coral bleaching is the process in which corals lose their symbiotic algae and photosynthetic elements and turn white. Bleaching prevents corals from reproducing, causing the disappearance of coral reefs - many marine fauna depend on them, which are also gradually dying out. Coral recovery after bleaching is possible, but for this to happen, the average ocean temperature must drop.

NOAA has announced a global bleaching event for April 2024. It was the fourth since 1998, when observations began. The previous record was recorded in 2014–2017 and covered approximately 66% of the area of ​​​​all coral reefs. In total, at least 14% of all corals in the world died from bleaching.