Mass Coral Mortality at One Tree Reef Signals Escalating Climate Threat

On 10^th December 2025, scientists reported that nearly 75% of Goniopora (flowerpot/daisy) corals at One Tree Reef on the Great Barrier Reef have died following severe bleaching and an outbreak of black band disease.

• The losses occurred during the world’s fourth global mass bleaching event, which has now affected around 84% of coral reefs worldwide, the most extensive bleaching recorded to date.
• Extreme ocean heat caused prolonged bleaching, leaving corals weakened and highly susceptible to black band disease (BBD), a rare but aggressive bacterial infection that rapidly destroys coral tissue.
• Although Goniopora corals are usually considered thermally tolerant and long-lived, the combination of ....