But scientists are having a hard time illustrating these problems as shifting baselines continue to redefine what is considered normal for reef health.
Australian scientists now report that coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has fallen sharply in all three sections of the reef for the first time in 35 years of continuous monitoring.
Heat-tolerant genes may spread through coral populations fast enough to give the marine creatures a tool to survive another 100 years of warming in our oceans.
Hatching rates on a remote island on the Great Barrier Reef are alarmingly low. Rising seas are flooding sea turtle nests on the island, but researchers are finding that's not the whole story.