US EditionThree-year heatwave bleached half the planet's coral reefs: study
Over half of the world's coral reefs experienced moderate or worse bleaching and 15% suffered significant mortality during the 2014-2017 event, according to an international scientific analysis.
- Published on Tuesday, a study shows that more than half of the world's coral reefs bleached during the 2014–2017 Third Global Bleaching Event.
- When seas overheated, corals ejected algae that provide their colour and food, leaving them vulnerable if temperatures remain high, while the study linked ocean warming to rising bleaching severity and mortality.
- The 2014–2017 episode stretched three years, becoming the first global bleaching event to last beyond one year; an international team of scientists analysed more than 15,000 surveys combined with satellite-based heat-stress measurements and models.
- Connolly said, `And yet, reefs are currently experiencing an even more severe Fourth Event, which started in early 2023,` while the Pacific coastline of Panama experienced dramatically worse heat stress and coral mortality.
- Rising temperatures and prior warnings position reefs at acute long-term risk, as Copernicus said last month global averages exceeded 1.5C, and a major scientific report last year warned reefs may have reached a 'tipping point'.
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25 Articles
Three-year heatwave ‘bleached half the planet’s coral reefs’
PARIS - A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world’s coral reefs were bleached between 2014 and 2017 — a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
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Three-year heatwave bleached half the planet's coral reefs: study
A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world's coral reefs were bleached between 2014-2017 -- a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
Half of the world's coral reefs suffered major bleaching during the 2014–2017 global heat wave, estimates suggest
Benefits to society from coral reefs, including fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, pharmaceutical discovery and more, are estimated at about $9.8 trillion per year. For the first time, an international team led by Smithsonian researchers estimated the extent of coral bleaching worldwide during a global marine heat wave, finding that half of the world's reefs experienced significant damage. Another heat wave began in 2023 and is ongoing.
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