Great Barrier Reef bleached for unprecedented second year running

Reef authority says findings of aerial surveys show enough to confirm another mass coral bleaching event, after last year's dramatic death rate

A mass bleaching event is taking its toll on the Great Barrier Reef for an unprecedented second year in a row, a Queensland government agency has confirmed.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has declared widespread damage from an underwater heatwave after a single day of aerial surveys between Cairns and Townsville on Thursday.