Publication Date March 20, 2016 | The Conversation

Coral bleaching comes to the Great Barrier Reef as record-breaking global temperatures continue

Australia
A bleached Seriatopora coral. Photo: Tyrone Ridgway, CC BY-SA
A bleached Seriatopora coral. Photo: Tyrone Ridgway, CC BY-SA

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has declared severe coral bleaching underway on the reefs north of Cooktown. El Niño and climate change have driven record-breaking temperatures worldwide. Sea temperatures have also been at record-breaking levels. In the oceans, we have known for more than a decade that rapidly warming ocean temperatures present a serious threat to coral reefs