Coral bleaching is a stress-induced biological process in which reef-building scleractinian corals lose all or most of their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (family Symbiodiniaceae) and/or their photosynthetic pigments, leading to visible paling or whitening of coral tissues. Triggered primarily by elevated sea surface temperatures, but also by light stress, pollution, or oxidative stress, bleaching involves disruption of the coral–algal symbiosis through mechanisms such as reactive oxygen species overproduction, damage to photosystem II, and activation of host cellular stress pathways that drive symbiont expulsion or degradation. Prolonged or repeated bleaching events impair coral metabolism, calcification, and reproduction, often increasing mortality and restructuring reef ecosystems.
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced the largest annual decline in coral cover in two of the three regions since AIMS began monitoring 39 years ago. This was predominantly driven by climate change-induced heat stress leading ...
Ecology
Aug 5, 2025
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The world's oceans are being rapidly transformed as climate change intensifies. Corals are bleaching, sea levels are rising, and seawater is becoming more acidic—making life difficult for shellfish and reef-building corals. ...
Environment
Aug 1, 2025
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Coral reefs are vital ecosystems that sustain millions of people, yet they face a growing crisis. Rising ocean temperatures are causing coral bleaching, a process where heat disrupts the relationship between corals and the ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2025
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This year, Australia has experienced record-breaking floods, tropical cyclones, heat waves on land and in the ocean, drought, coral bleaching, coastal erosion and devastating algal blooms. Over the past five years, insured ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2025
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When you think about climate change in our oceans, you may picture coral bleaching, melting sea ice, or extreme weather events. But beneath the ocean's surface, another quiet shift is underway. Australia's tropical fish are ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 25, 2025
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A pesky fish may be the culprit behind bleached tropical coral off the coast of the Florida Keys, according to research from the University of Georgia.
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2025
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A team of scientists from the University of Miami, the Florida Aquarium and Tela Marine in Honduras is working together to transplant crossbred coral fragments onto a reef off Miami's coastline that was devastated by coral ...
Ecology
Jul 4, 2025
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New research has revealed alarming coral mortality rates of 92% after last year's bleaching event at Lizard Island on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, marking one of the highest coral mortality rates ever documented globally.
Plants & Animals
Jul 4, 2025
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245
Multiple climate "tipping points" are likely to be triggered if global policies stay on their current course, new research shows. Scientists assessed the risk of "tipping" in 16 different parts of the Earth system—ranging ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2025
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An "unprecedented" mass bleaching event has been recorded off Australia's western coast, scientists said Wednesday, turning huge chunks of a celebrated reef system a sickly dull white.
Environment
Mar 26, 2025
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