Marine life

Great Barrier Reef records largest annual coral loss in 39 years

Australian authorities say the Great Barrier Reef has experienced its greatest annual loss of live coral in four decades
But due to increasing coral cover since 2017, the coral deaths — caused mainly by bleaching last year associated with climate change — have left the area of living coral across the iconic reef system close to its long-term average

By AP · 07 August 2025

By Sanjay Kumar · 25 May 2025