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Coral Reefs Are Heading Toward the Worst Global Mass Bleaching on Record. According to U.S. government scientists, coral reefs are approaching a fourth global mass bleaching event caused by global heating. The occurrence is expected "to be the most extensive on record," 'The Guardian' reports. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch, about 54% of ocean waters that contain coral reefs have endured enough heat stress to cause bleaching. The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system on the plant, also experienced "its most widespread heat stress event" ever this year, 'The Guardian' reports. Currently, the record for the most widespread bleaching event took place between 2014 to 2017 with 56% of the ocean's coral reefs subjected to heat stress levels severe enough to cause bleaching. Dr. Derek Manzello, the Coral Reef Watch director, said that the current bleaching event is set to surpass that record soon “because the percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress has been increasing by roughly 1% per week”. "The bottom line is that as coral reefs experience more frequent and severe bleaching events, the time they have to recover is becoming shorter and shorter.", "Current climate models suggest that every reef on planet Earth will experience severe, annual bleaching sometime between 2040 and 2050.", Dr. Derek Manzello, the Coral Reef Watch director, via 'The Guardian'. Coral reefs "provide habitat to a quarter of all marine species" but are regarded as one of the most susceptible ecosystems to global warming, 'The Guardian' reports. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT