Warm ocean temperatures have caused large expanses of coral to bleach in the pristine reefs northwest of Hawaii's main islands, scientists said Tuesday. Mass bleaching has occurred at Lisianski atoll, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu, said Courtney Couch, a researcher at the Hawaii Institute o Marine Biology. Coral also bleached at Midway, Pearl and Hermes atolls, but not as severely.

Mass coral bleaching reported in Hawaii. (2014, October 2). Manila Bulletin, p. 7.