Heat stress, rare disease wipe out Goniopora coral colonies on Great Barrier Reef

Published on : 10 Dec 2025, 12:04 pm Listen to this article Summary

Three-quarters of Goniopora corals at One Tree Reef have died after bleaching and black band disease.

The losses occurred during the fourth global mass bleaching event, affecting 84% of reefs worldwide.

Extreme heat weakened corals, enabling rapid, unprecedented spread of the disease.

Goniopora are usually thermally tolerant, making the event a major warning for global reef resilience.

Scientists say accelerating climate change is outpacing corals’ ability to recover and survive.

A combination of extreme heat stress and a rare coral disease has wiped out 75 per cent of Goniopora colonies at a site on the Great Barrier Reef, scientists have reported, raising fresh alarms over the accelerating impacts of clim