The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), based in Barbados, has reported the presence of bleaching-level heat stress in the southwest Caribbean.
The institute forecasts a significant risk that heat stress will reach or exceed alert levels in the coming months.
High-risk period for coral reefs
According to the first 2024 issue of the Caribbean Coral Reef Watch Bulletin, there is a high probability from May to August that heat stress will escalate to Alert Levels 1 and 2.
This increase is expected across the western and southwest Caribbean basin, including areas around Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada.
The bulletin reiterates that bleaching warning-level heat stress currently exists in the southwest Caribbean.
Global concerns over coral bleaching
Since the beginning of 2023, widespread bleaching of coral reefs has been recorded across the tropics.
Affected regions include Florida, the wider Caribbean, Brazil, the eastern Tropical Pacific, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia among other locations.
Predictions for coral reefs
The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued predictions indicating a bleak future for coral reefs.
Even the most conservative forecasts suggest that by 2050, mass coral bleaching could become an annual event for the majority of the world’s coral reefs.
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