As per National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the ongoing mass coral bleaching event is now the most extensive one and has broken the previous records by more than 11% in about half the time. 

• Current bleaching has so far subjected a staggering 77% of the world’s coral reef areas – from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian oceans – to bleaching-level heat stress, as climate change fuels record and near-record ocean temperatures across the world. 

About Coral Bleaching

• Corals are a marine species having a symbiotic relationship with microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues. 
• Coral bleaching is defined as the process in which corals expel their symbiotic algae due to environmental stressors like changes in temperature, light or nutrients.
• The current 4th bleaching event was declared by NOAA Coral Reef Authority in April 2024. 
• First bleaching event reported in 1998 caused a loss of 8% of the world's corals.
• ~14% of the world’s remaining corals were estimated to have died in the previous two global bleaching events (2010 and 2014-2017)
• Impact of Coral Bleaching
  • Ecological: Reduced biodiversity, disruptions in food chain, etc. 
  • Socio-economic impacts: Decline in fisheries sector, reduced tourism, etc.