Increase of coral bleaching frequency

In a large collaborative global study led by Terry Hughes, we analyzed bleaching data from 100 reefs around the world (including Kiritimati), to show that as climate change has intensified the recurrence time between successive coral bleaching events has decreased by more than half. The current small windows between bleaching events do not allow sufficient time for coral reefs to fully recover.

The study received an extraordinary amount of national and international media attention: