A record-setting marine heat wave stripped huge portions of Florida's coral reef of their colors in 2023, triggering the ninth and worst mass bleaching event in the Caribbean. Temperatures soared for weeks, almost completely killing off two of the region's oldest and most important coral species, according to a new report that aims to shine a light on how warming waters can be lethal for the ecosystems they've historically sustained.

Co-authored by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of South Florida and several nonprofit organizations, the report was published Thursday in the peer-reviewed academic journal Science . It shared striking findings from an investigation into the effects of that record heat wave on a 350-mile stretch of the F

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