Coral Bleaching Subsiding After 3 Extreme Years, but Recovery Could Take Decades

The longest and most widespread coral bleaching event on record is abating.  As the powerful 2015-2016 El Niño faded, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans remained warmer than average, but they at least cooled to levels that may enable some reefs to start recovering from extreme ocean heat, according to an update from U.S. coral reef experts.

Some of the less-affected reefs are bouncing back, but areas that were hit repeatedly lost so much coral that it could take decades or centuries for the reefs to recover, and only if greenhouse gas emissions are cut to slow global warming.  Scientists won't know the full scope of the damage until they compile scientific reports from the far-flung reefs.

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