'Unprecedented' mass bleaching drains life from Australian reef

A months-long marine heatwave had "cooked" the sprawling Ningaloo Reef, ocean scientist Kate Quigley said, part of a world heritage-listed marine park renowned for vibrant corals and migrating whale sharks. Although environment officials were still verifying the scale of damage, data collected by Quigley and a team of scientists found it was on track to be the reef's worst mass-bleaching event in years. "Warm oceans have just cooked the corals this year," Quigley told AFP. "It wouldn't be amiss to throw in the word 'unprecedented'.