Kim Cobb, a marine scientist st the Georgia Institute of Technology, expected the coral to be damaged when she plunged into the deep blue waters off Kiritimati Island, a remote atoll near the center of the Pacific Ocean. Still, she was stunned by what she saw as she descended some 10 meters to the rim of the coral outcropping. "The entire reef is covered with a red-brown fuzz," Dr. Cobb said after her recent dive. " It is otherworldly. It is algae that has grown over dead coral. It was devastating. "

Innis, M. (2016, April 18). Warm seas are killing reefs. Manila Bulletin, p. 4.