'Perfect storm' led to 2016 Barrier Reef whitening: Study
Unprecedented oceanographic conditions in 2016 produced the perfect storm of factors leading to mass coral bleaching at Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a study found. Bleaching caused by underwater heatwaves forces corals to expel their algae turning them white and vulnerable to diseases. Further, prolonged "residence time" of the 2016 El Niño heating event created water patches as hot as 34ºC.