A prolonged summer heatwave in Australia left 91 percent of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral damaged by bleaching, marking the first time on record the reef had suffered bleaching during a La Nina weather cycle, when cooler temperatures would normally be expected. The AFP news agency quotes a report published by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as saying thaty although bleached corals are still alive, and moderately affected sections of the reef may recover, “severely bleached corals have higher mortality rates”. For more on this story, including a graphical explanation of coral bleaching, visit the News Blog page on the Future Media website.
