At least 35 percent of corals in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been destroyed by bleaching, Australian scientists say. The experts from James Cook University ( JCU) say it is the most extreme case of mass bleaching they have ever measured at the World Heritage Site. Bleaching occurs when warmer water causes coral to weaken and lose the colorful algae that provide oxygen and nutrients. It has been linked to climate change.

Bleaching 'killing' Great Barrier Reef. (2016, May 31). Panay News, p. 11.