Wildlife Conservation Society and partners’ document large-scale coral bleaching and death in wake of sea surface temperature rise.

The Wildlife Conservation Society today released initial field observations that indicate that a dramatic rise in the surface temperature in Indonesian waters has resulted in a large-scale bleaching event that has devastated coral populations.

WCS's Indonesia Program "Rapid Response Unit" of marine biologists was dispatched to investigate coral bleaching reported in May in Aceh–a province of Indonesia–located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The initial survey carried out by the team revealed that over 60 percent of corals were bleached.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Tuesday the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Forest Service for failing to monitor and protect endangered species and habitat in Arizona and New Mexico national forests. At issue are at least seven threatened or endangered species, including the southwestern willow flycatcher, New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Chiricahua leopard frog, Apache trout, loach minnow, Mexican spotted owl and spikedace.