The pages aims to collate the latest news with respect to coral reef bleaching announcements an observations on national, regional and global-scales. Should you any additional news items or announcements that you would like to include on this page, please contact Thomas Dallison at the ICRI Secretariat.
Report confirms Great Barrier Reef has suffered worst summer on record
17 April 2024
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered the worst summer on record, enduring cyclones, severe flooding, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and a mass coral bleaching event, an Australian Government report has today confirmed.
Western Indian Ocean: Temperatures in decline in the Western Indian Ocean with no coral mortality reported.
19 April 2024
CORDIO East Africa have released their second ‘Western Indian Ocean Bleaching Alert’ in April 2024. Temperatures are in decline across the region and no coral mortality has yet been reported. Widespread moderate bleaching in northern parts of the WIO should stabilize and dissipate in coming weeks, with only slight residual risk in Kenya/Somalia and NW
Seychelles.
Western Indian Ocean: Widespread bleaching reported in Kenya and Tanzania, but little mortality evident. Peak temperatures likely reached, portending reduced risk in the coming weeks.
01 April 2024
CORDIO East Africa have released their ‘Western Indian Ocean Bleaching Alert’ for April 2024. The entire Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is uniformly hot, with intense hotspot development off northern Tanzania and Kenya. Thermal stress has intensified over the past two weeks, with all 21 NOAA virtual bleaching stations in the WIO on high/severe bleaching alert.
The Reef Authority conclude aerial surveys of the Great Barrier Reef
The Reef Authority announce a mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef
Western Indian Ocean: Indications are for a hot 2024 bleaching season in the Western Indian Ocean, with moderate to high bleaching expected
01 March 2024
CORDIO East Africa have released their ‘Western Indian Ocean Bleaching Alert’ for 1st March 2024. The El Niño persists, although a steady weakening trend is evident. The IOD remains neutral and is projected to remain in this state until end of April. The bleaching outlook for March to June remains severe, with most of the coral reef locations in the WIO predicted to experience strong bleaching.
Sever Bleaching of Corals in the West Indies
08 December 2023
The French Coral Reef Initiative (IFRECOR): The French West Indies experienced abnormally high temperatures for nearly 10 weeks (from August to November 2023) leading to a major and unprecedented episode of coral bleaching. The first signs of coral bleaching were postponed at the end of August in Guadeloupe and Martinique as well as in St-Martin and St-Barthélemy and the resumption of color of bleached corals at the end of November / beginning of December 2023, i.e. 3 months of impact of the bleaching phenomenon (up to 80%, or even more locally, of bleached coral colonies depending on the site). Mortality levels are still being studied.
A summary note on the bleaching update on the West Indies is available (.pdf). Resources are available in French.