As the world’s coral reefs suffer a fourth global bleaching event, heat stress in the Caribbean is accumulating even earlier than it did in 2023, the previous record year for the region, according to data made public on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“I hate that I have to keep using that word ‘unprecedented,’” said Derek Manzello, coordinator of the agency’s Coral Reef Watch Program.
Officials said conditions were quickly changing to a neutral state, with a cooler La Niña forecast for this summer or fall.
But right now, temperatures in the Caribbean off Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia are hitting levels that previously haven’t been seen until weeks later, an ominous signal after the heat that ravaged reefs across the region last year.
A study of the reefs off Huatulco in Oaxaca, Mexico, found coral mortality ranging from 50 percent to 93 percent, depending on the reef area.
Persons:
“, ’ ”, Derek Manzello, El
Organizations:
National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Reef Watch
Locations:
Caribbean, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Oaxaca, Mexico