"Massive bleaching" refers to a situation where coral reefs or other underwater organisms lose their color and become pale or white due to environmental stress, typically caused by increased water temperatures. Full definition
Coral reefs have been hit by massive bleaching events in the past, and recovered. (climatechangenews.com)
Gates and van Oppen are aiming to look specifically at areas that have already survived massive bleaching events, such as Moorea in French Polynesia, the central Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and the Seychelles, where 97 % of corals in the inner islands died following the 1997 — 98 El Niño oceanic warming event. (scientificamerican.com)
Coral reefs have been hit by massive bleaching events in the past, and recovered. (climatechangenews.com)