Understanding and Responding to a Very Strong El Niño Year Webinar

NOAA forecasts indicate that the current El Niño is likely to strengthen into a very strong event, bringing warmer-than-average ocean temperatures across many tropical reef regions. Elevated sea surface temperatures are already being observed across coral reefs in the Caribbean, Coral Triangle, Micronesia, and parts of the tropical eastern Pacific, increasing the likelihood of widespread coral bleaching in the coming months. Combined with the long-term warming trend driven by climate change, these conditions pose a significant threat to the health and resilience of coral reef ecosystems.

To mark Coral Bleaching Awareness Month, the Coral Reef Alliance, International Coral Reef Initiative, and Reef Resilience Network hosted a special webinar to explore the latest science, regional responses, and practical solutions for addressing the growing bleaching threat.

• Derek Manzello (NOAA Coral Reef Watch) presented the latest forecasts, explaining the development of a very strong El Niño and its association with global coral bleaching events, and detailed the updated bleaching alert levels and current heat stress patterns.
• Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network) shared findings from a new report, noting a long-term global decline in coral cover driven by marine heatwaves, while also highlighting the capacity of reefs to recover, albeit with shorter recovery windows.
• Helen Fox (Coral Reef Alliance) discussed long-term strategies for building reef resilience, including identifying adaptive reefs and designing climate-smart MPA networks, as well as short-term actions managers and restoration practitioners can take to prepare. Annick Cros (TNC) joined her to present short-term preparedness actions for coral restoration practitioners.

View additional resources on the RRN website.