As ocean temperatures continue to rise, experts declared the third global bleaching event was underway and that it had started in mid-2014. In 2010, it was a little less severe. The first global event took … The second global mass coral bleaching event hit the world’s reefs. Luckily, the Great Barrier Reef avoided extensive damage. If we continue burning fossil fuels at our current rate then severe bleaching events are likely to hit reefs annually by the middle of the century. The 2014–2017 global-scale coral bleaching event (GCBE) resulted in very high coral mortality on many reefs, rapid deterioration of reef structures, and far-reaching environmental impacts. The first globally observed coral bleaching event occurred in 1998, during the last very strong El Nino event — when it happened, scientists had never seen anything like it. The longest-lasting recorded global bleaching event began in 2014 and continues to affect coral reefs worldwide. The Worst Global Coral Bleaching Event Ever Recorded… This new record spike in global surface temperatures set off the worst coral bleaching event ever recorded . 2014–2017 was an unprecedented period of successive record-breaking hot years, which coincided with the most severe, widespread, and longest-lasting global-scale coral bleaching event ever recorded. AD But global coral bleaching doesn’t happen during all El Niños – it takes an extreme one. However, the 2015 to 2016 event is predicted to impact up to 38 percent of the world’s reefs. The first global coral bleaching event, from 1997 to 1998, caused at least 15 percent of global reefs to die. The first global bleaching event was recorded in 1998. “I studied coral reefs for 20 years before I first saw mass bleaching in 1998—the first global coral-bleaching event. Hot news on the 2016, 2017, and 2020 coral bleaching events: 7 April 2020: Climate change triggers Great Barrier Reef bleaching 4 April 2019: Global warming disrupts recovery of coral reefs 11 Dec 2018: A glimmer of hope for the world’s coral reefs 26 Oct 2018: Fish give up the fight after coral bleaching 05 Sept 2018: Coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef not limited to shallow depths It can take decades for coral reefs to fully recover from a bleaching event, so it is vital that these events do not occur frequently. Bleaching in 2016 was more severe than 2020, but was concentrated in the north of the Great Barrier Reef. In the lead-up to that event, strong El Nino conditions developed on top of already warm ocean waters in the Pacific. Around the world, reef systems came under severe stress as sea surface and near surface temperatures exceeded 28-30 degrees Celsius. During the 1998 event the world lost 16% of its coral reefs. 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