"Widespread bleaching" refers to a situation where a large area of something, like coral reefs or hair, loses its natural color and turns pale or white due to various causes like stress, pollution, or environmental changes. Full definition
And even after this year's event abates, the oceans will continue warming, meaning it may not take such a strong El Niño event in the future to trigger these kinds of widespread bleachings. (washingtonpost.com)
Not only is the reef threatened by widespread bleaching as a result of rising ocean temperatures, but the project also requires the major expansion of the Abbot Point port in Queensland. (fortune.com)
«Nothing can really be done about widespread bleaching events that can reach the global scale,» he adds. (scientificamerican.com)