Article Summary:

UnderwaterTimes.com reports that scientists have identified the bleaching event that occurred this year in the “coral triangle” as certainly being the worst since 1998, and may yet prove to be the worst such event known to science. Sea temperatures rose by as much as 4 degrees over the normal average in the area, geographically from the Seychelles in the west to Sulawesi and the Philippines in the east and include reefs in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and many sites in western and eastern Indonesia. Dr Andrew Baird, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook Universities, commented:

“This means coral cover in the region could drop from an average of 50% to around 10%, and the spatial scale of the event could mean it will take years to recover, striking at local fishing and regional tourism industries.”