Coral bleaching, a stress condition in corals, happens when the algae that live in the coral’s tissue, providing food and its normal healthy colour, are expelled.

When bleached, corals starve, weaken and become more vulnerable to diseases and death.

In many parts of the Caribbean, 80% of corals bleached and 40% died after the 2005 mass bleaching event. Since mass coral bleaching occurs when water temperatures increase, bleaching events will become more common and intense as the world’s oceans become warmer.