Coral Skeletons Keep Record of Stronger El Niños, New Research Finds Coral reefs are facing an unprecedented crisis due to climate change, with hard coral cover declining globally by nearly 40% since the 1980s, and some regions experiencing losses as high as 50%.
The report's findings are particularly concerning given that corals have had precious little time to recover from previous bleaching events.
Three major global bleaching events occurred in just the last 15 years, leaving corals weakened and vulnerable to disease and death.