New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- Summary The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its sharpest coral loss in 39 years, with hard coral cover plunging over 70% in some areas.

The 2024 mass bleaching event, the fifth since 2016, coincided with record heat stress, cyclones and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

Scientists warn that frequent and intense bleaching events are leaving the reef with little time to recover, and the window to save it is rapidly closing.

The Great Barrier Reef has recorded its steepest decline in hard coral cover in almost four decades, as climate change-induced heat stress, cyclones and outbreaks of coral-eating starfish drive the ecosystem to the brink.

An annual survey by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), re...