The Fourth Global Bleaching Event began in February 2023 and has since spread to at least 53 countries, territories, or local economies, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and International Coral Reef Initiative.
When stressed coral expels the algae that gives them their color when consumed, bleaching takes place.
David Obura, the director of Coastal Oceans Research and Development and an ecologist, compared it to a human “fever” and said that if it lasts long enough, coral may die.
The EU Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that the worldwide average sea surface temperature hit a record monthly high of 21.07 °C (69.93 °F) in March.
