Ocean Warming's White Plague: The Alarming Reason Bleached Corals Struggle to Bounce Back
Nature World News | 11.03.2026 18:56Coral bleaching events have become a stark symbol of environmental strain, with vast stretches of ocean turning once-vibrant reefs into pale skeletons. In 2024, satellite monitoring revealed bleaching affecting 84% of the world's reefs, stretching from the iconic Great Barrier Reef off Australia to remote atolls in the Pacific. These incidents unfold when corals—small, polyp-like animals that form the backbone of massive underwater structures—expel their essential symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae. This algae provides the corals with energy through photosynthesis and their signature colors. Without it, corals starve, bleach white, and often die.
