Coral reefs can’t recover between bleaching anymore, report says

Factors such as warming waters and pollution cause the algae that lives on coral — and which is a major food source for the coral — to leave. This leaves the coral food-deprived and susceptible to disease, causing it to turn pale (or “bleached”).

Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the next one strikes, with global coral cover now well below normal levels and at risk of irreversible decline, scientists said on Monday.

The world’s coral reefs provide food and livelihoods for millions of people.

Coral bleaching occurring too frequently for reefs to recover, scientists say  Reuters

Rising sea temperatures mean reefs don’t have enough time to bounce back between intense heat waves, a new report warns.