Publication Date March 29, 2016 | The Sydney Morning Herald

Great Barrier Reef in grip of worst bleaching event

Australia
The National Coral Bleaching Taskforce has found record levels of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: Terry Hughes
The National Coral Bleaching Taskforce has found record levels of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: Terry Hughes

The most pristine parts of the Great Barrier Reef are in the grip of the worst coral bleaching event in history, scientists say.

Experts who've surveyed 500 sites between Cairns and Papua New Guinea say once-healthy reefs are now snow-white, with the vast majority ranked in the most severe category of bleaching