# World-famous coral reefs along Western Australia’s coast have suffered the worst bleaching on record after the state’s longest, largest, and most intense marine heatwave. Scientists say between last August and this May, warmer water temperatures led to significant heat stress on the reefs, causing many of the corals to expel the algae, which give them life and colour. The damage spans one-thousand-500 kilometres and includes areas previously unscathed by climate change. Coral reefs worldwide have been suffering from a two-year-long global coral bleaching event due to record-high temperatures.
Worst bleaching on record for Western Australian coral reefs