@article{fdi:010097362,
  title = {{T}he impact of the 2024 coral bleaching event on corals at a remote atoll in the {T}uamotu {A}rchipelago, {F}rench {P}olynesia},
  author = {{J}uncker, {M}. and {R}aick, {X}. and {C}hevillard, {C}. and {V}arillon, {D}avid and {M}enk{\`e}s, {C}hristophe and {J}ullien, {S}. and {P}agli, {B}astien and {D}uphil, {M}axime and {J}ob, {S}. and {H}{\'e}douin, {L}. and {L}ecchini, {D}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{C}oral reefs are under severe threat from global warming, particularly due to the increasing frequency of mass coral bleaching events. {T}his study documents the effects of the fourth global coral bleaching event on corals of {T}ahanea, a remote uninhabited {F}rench {P}olynesian atoll over a 10-month period. {C}oral surveys (transects and tracking of individual colonies) and temperature monitoring were conducted by one in situ observer. {T}he marine heatwave lasted 80 days, from {J}anuary 24, 2024, to {A}pril 12, 2024, with a peak intensity of + 1.55 degrees {C} above climatological levels. {T}his event was the longest in the past 30 years in the {S}outh {P}acific region as well as the most intense in terms of cumulative intensity (79.2 degrees {C} & centerdot;days) and daily degree heating week ({DHW}) annual maximum (reaching 4.7 degrees {C} weeks(-1)). {I}n {M}ay 2024, 11-16% of coral colonies showed signs of bleaching, while 27-43% were recently dead. {B}y {S}eptember, out of the 40 studied large colonies, 50% of corals partially bleached in {A}pril were dead, and 80% of those fully bleached in {A}pril had died. {I}n {S}eptember 2024, underwater visual surveys (depth: 0.4-2 m) revealed low live coral cover (15%), with old dead coral dominating substrate composition at {T}ahanea. {T}his study shows that even isolated, uninhabited coral reefs, far from any direct human pressure, are highly vulnerable to marine heatwaves. {T}his highlights the importance of rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to conserve coral reefs.},
  keywords = {{C}oral reefs ; {G}lobal change ; {O}cean warming ; {M}arine heatwave ; {M}ass coral bleaching ; {T}ahanea ; {POLYNESIE} {FRANCAISE} ; {TUAMOTU} ; {TAHANEA}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}oral {R}eefs},
  volume = {[{E}arly access]},
  numero = {},
  pages = {[14 p.]},
  ISSN = {0722-4028},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1007/s00338-026-02895-y},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010097362},
}