But scientists forecast high ocean temperatures may persist in some areas
After analyzing satellite and model data, NOAA’s experts say coral reefs around the world may finally catch a break from high ocean temperatures that have lingered for an unprecedented three years, the longest period since the 1980s.
![A bleached colony of table Acropora at Fagatele Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa. (Image credit: NOAA) A bleached colony of table Acropora at Fagatele Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/legacy/image/2019/Jun/PHOTO%20-%202015_bleaching%20-%20061617%20-%20NOAA%20-%203360x1869%20-%20LANDSCAPE.jpg?itok=UGFw2H6G)
A bleached colony of table Acropora at Fagatele Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa. (Image credit: NOAA)