New coral heat stress levels introduced

Coral Reef Watch has introduced three new alert levels to warn about escalating heat stress on coral reefs. These changes respond to last year's unprecedented heat stress events that caused widespread coral bleaching and mortality across the Americas. The new system, based on accumulated heat stress measured in degree heating weeks, acknowledges the severity of heat impacts, with level 5 indicating a risk of near complete coral mortality. These adjustments recognise the urgent need to address climate-induced threats to coral reefs, underscoring the critical importance of global action to mitigate climate change's devastating effects on marine ecosystems. (The Guardian)