Global coral bleaching event biggest on record: US agency

A global coral bleaching event that began last year has quickly grown to the largest on record, according to a US agency, with the impacted reef area continuing to grow.

From the beginning of 2023 through October 10, 2024, "roughly 77 percent of the world's reef area has experienced bleaching-level heat stress," Derek Manzello of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told AFP on Friday.