Great Barrier Reef suffering ‘most severe’ coral bleaching on record as footage shows damage 18 metres down

Marine researcher devastated' by widespread event that is affecting coral species usually resistant to bleaching

Concern that the Great Barrier Reef may be suffering the most severe mass coral bleaching event on record has escalated after a conservation group released footage showing damage up to 18 metres below the surface.

Dr Selina Ward, a marine biologist and former academic director of the University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station, said it was the worst bleaching she had seen in 30 years working on the reef, and that some coral was starting to die.