Why report coral bleaching?
The bleaching of corals is a natural response to environmental stress. While several sources of stress can cause corals to bleach, in recent decades unusually high water temperatures have been the major cause of coral bleaching events worldwide. When water temperatures increase above average, severe and widespread bleaching can occur (known as a ‘mass-bleaching event’). The initial onset of mass coral bleaching can range from gradual and patchy to rapid and uniform, and can occur with varying synchrony over hundreds or thousands of square kilometres. Detecting the early signs of a mass-bleaching event requires a wide network of observers providing regular reports of conditions throughout the region. BleachWatch has been designed to provide reliable reports on bleaching and reef condition from a wide range of reef sites throughout the Great Barrier Reef.
