Corals resilient to heat stress, no mass bleaching this year

DESPITE sea surface temperature (SST) hovering above the bleaching threshold limit of 30°C, the coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar have shown remarkable resilience this summer, with no signs of mass bleaching.

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ Chennai

DESPITE sea surface temperature (SST) hovering above the bleaching threshold limit of 30°C, the coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar have shown remarkable resilience this summer, with no signs of mass bleaching. R Murugan, Wildlife Warden of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, told TNIE that while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had issued a general alert on potential coral bleaching due to above normal SST, underwater monit