Great Barrier Reef corals that survived bleaching in 2016 were more resistant to a second marine heatwave the following year, “astonished” scientists have observed. Great Barrier Reef: record heatwave may cause another coral bleaching event Read moreAn international research team, led by Terry Hughes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Townsville, highlighted the extent of damage to the reef from coral bleaching events in 1998, 2002, 2016 and 2017. The latest study, published on Tuesday, is a companion that considered the second year of unprecedented back-to-back bleaching events. The 2017 bleaching event most severely affected corals in the central section of the reef. The southern section of the reef was cooler in 2016 and 2017 and was not severely bleached in either year.

Source: The Guardian December 10, 2018 15:33 UTC