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The Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Looms, Threatening World’s Largest Reefs
Amidst a surge in global sea surface temperatures, experts are sounding the alarm over the imminent threat of a fourth mass coral bleaching event, potentially the most severe in history.
As temperatures reached a record high on Monday, soaring to 21.17°C after months of above-average readings, scientists are gravely concerned about the fate of coral reefs worldwide. Derek Manzello, coordinator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, warned that the entire Southern Hemisphere is at risk of bleaching this year.
“We are literally sitting on the cusp of the worst bleaching event in the history of the planet,” remarked Manzello, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
The perilous state of coral reefs has been underscored by recent research published in the journal Science. US and Australian researchers raised alarms, suggesting that extreme marine heatwaves witnessed last year could herald a mass bleaching and coral mortality event across the Indo-Pacific in the coming years.
Coral reefs, often dubbed “rainforests of the sea,” play a pivotal role in marine biodiversity, supporting a quarter of all marine species and providing ecosystem services valued up to $9.9 trillion annually. However, these…
