Extreme coral bleaching: Research must expand scale. Old scale ended where coral die-off began.
New warning system increases limit for warming for weeks, which are the limit for bleaching. Bleaching Alert Level 5 is five times higher than the first level, Bleach Alert Level 1. “We cannot ignore climate change’s almost as if last year was a wake-up call,’’ said Stephanie Schopmeyer, research associate with Florida Fish and Wildlife. ‘These new alert levels will help us prepare for more serious events’