Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Half of the world's coral reefs suffered major bleaching during the 2014-2017 global heatwave [View all]
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115155Smithsonian-led analysis, the first of its kind, also shows that an even more severe event is unfolding now
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Smithsonian
Benefits to society from coral reefs, including fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, pharmaceutical discovery and more, are estimated at about $9.8 trillion per year. For the first time, an international team led by Smithsonian researchers estimated the extent of coral bleaching worldwide during a global marine heatwave, finding that half of the world’s reefs experienced significant damage. Another heatwave began in 2023 and is ongoing. The analysis was published today in Nature Communications.
It takes two partners to make a coral: a tiny animal related to a jellyfish that secretes the hard coral structure and an even tinier algae that turn sunlight into the energy the animal partner needs to live. Bleaching occurs under heat stress, when the partnership breaks down, and the coral loses its algal symbionts—its source of energy—and turns white. Bleaching leads to reduced growth, less reproduction and even death when it is especially severe or sustained.
To obtain their estimate of the extent of reef damage from the “Third Global Coral Bleaching Event” (2014–2017), an international team from dozens of countries worldwide, led by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), James Cook University in Australia and the former director of Coral Reef Watch at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined satellite images of ocean water temperature from the Coral Reef Watch system with reef observations from in the water and aerial surveys around the world.
“This is the most geographically extensive analysis of coral bleaching surveys ever done,” said Sean Connolly, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian. “Nearly 200 co-authors from 143 institutions in 41 countries and territories contributed data.”
…
Eakin, C.M., Heron, S.F., Connolly, S.R. et al. Severe and widespread coral reef damage during the 2014-2017 Global Coral Bleaching Event. Nat Commun 17, 1318 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67506-w
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Smithsonian
Benefits to society from coral reefs, including fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, pharmaceutical discovery and more, are estimated at about $9.8 trillion per year. For the first time, an international team led by Smithsonian researchers estimated the extent of coral bleaching worldwide during a global marine heatwave, finding that half of the world’s reefs experienced significant damage. Another heatwave began in 2023 and is ongoing. The analysis was published today in Nature Communications.
It takes two partners to make a coral: a tiny animal related to a jellyfish that secretes the hard coral structure and an even tinier algae that turn sunlight into the energy the animal partner needs to live. Bleaching occurs under heat stress, when the partnership breaks down, and the coral loses its algal symbionts—its source of energy—and turns white. Bleaching leads to reduced growth, less reproduction and even death when it is especially severe or sustained.
To obtain their estimate of the extent of reef damage from the “Third Global Coral Bleaching Event” (2014–2017), an international team from dozens of countries worldwide, led by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), James Cook University in Australia and the former director of Coral Reef Watch at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined satellite images of ocean water temperature from the Coral Reef Watch system with reef observations from in the water and aerial surveys around the world.
“This is the most geographically extensive analysis of coral bleaching surveys ever done,” said Sean Connolly, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian. “Nearly 200 co-authors from 143 institutions in 41 countries and territories contributed data.”
…
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read