A new study from the University of Southampton sheds light on the impact climate change is having on marine environments in a relatively recent global phenomenon known as "tropicalization."
Geographical Magazine Coral s susceptibility to bleaching varies with geography, raising conservation hope 2021 Field observations of corals around the world reveal that not all species are as susceptible to bleaching as previous models predict
Coral bleaching is now a well-known phenomenon. When corals are exposed to heat stress, they expel the symbiotic algae that give them their colour and provide them with a large proportion of their energy needs. In 1998, vast tracts of the Great Barrier Reef were bleached ghostly white. A second recent bleaching event occurred in 2010–2011, when record high rainfalls in eastern Australia caused discharges of freshwater to reduce the salinity of coastal waters. Then, in 2015–16, elevated sea temperatures, combined with a strong El Niño event, caused 93 per cent of coral on the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef to bleach.