Massive and aged corals have started to bleach off the coast of Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a marine biologist, described the change as an “emergency situation”.
He said: “The coral in Rayong has started to bleach. From a birds eye view we can see clearly the white coral around the rocks under the water.
“These are massive corals which are bleaching very quickly. Normally this kind of coral takes a long time to bleach and react to the changes in temperature and environment.
“We need to study what factors are causing this change apart from just the temperature. This is an emergency situation,” he said.
