The first signs of stressed corals are appearing at Lizard Island, which was one of the hardest hit parts of the Great Barrier Reef during the previous mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017
Such an event would be the third in the reef in five years. The only previous recorded periods of mass bleaching were in 1998 and 2002.
"It's pretty warm around Lizard Island," he said, adding "there's no reason to think" nearby reefs that his team were yet to visit were in much better state. Recent conditions in the area around Lizard Island had been "very, very hot", with clear skies and calm seas creating "a perfect storm for bleaching", Dr Vail said.
Unfortunately, the current forecasts are for much of the Great Barrier Reef - and many other parts of the western Pacific - to remain at risk of bleaching over the coming weeks, according to the marine park authority and the Coral Reef Watch service of the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.
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