Record El Niño could shift parts of the Great Barrier Reef from coral to seaweed

New Scientist reports scientists warn that the record El Niño could leave swathes of the Great Barrier Reef dominated by seaweed instead of coral. It says El Niño disrupts monsoon troughs that bring cooling clouds and rain to the region, and that the reef’s worst bleaching events have coincided with past El Niños, including devastating coral mortality in 2024.