Scientists Tuesday warned coral bleaching was occurring on the Great Barrier Reef as sea temperatures warm, and it could rapidly accelerate unless cooler conditions blow in over the next few weeks. Authorities cautioned last year that the world faced a mass global coral bleaching event driven by the warming effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies said it was a growing concern. "Current reports of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef do not equate to a mass bleaching event," said the center's director Terry Hughes, based at James Cook University in Townsville in Queensland state. "But we are concerned about a growing incidence of minor to moderate bleaching at multiple locations along the reef as the peak of summer approaches." Bleaching is a phenomenon that turns corals white or fades their colors, threatening a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism, and fishing.

Evidence of coral bleaching on Barrier Reef. (2016, March 02). Manila Standard, p. B7.