Global Coral Bleaching Database: Presence/Absence Records

Global data compiles records of coral bleaching presence or absence from major ocean basins, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea. The database contains tens of thousands of observations, with sources reporting between 32,836 and 33,244 records. These records document bleaching events over a multi-decade period, with reported time ranges spanning from 1963 to 2021.

Use Cases

• [Analyzing bleaching event frequency and intensity] based on [global presence/absence records]
• [Mapping historical bleaching hotspots] based on [geographic information tags]
• [Correlating bleaching with environmental stressors] based on [temporal coverage spanning decades]
• [Assessing coral reef ecosystem vulnerability] based on [records of symbiosis breakdown events]

Strengths

• Large observational scale with over 32,000 records globally
• Long temporal coverage, spanning at least 54 years according to one source
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov suggests importance and curation

Limitations

• Conflicting record counts (32,836 vs. 33,244) and time ranges (1969-2017 vs. 1963-2021) between sources
• Column names and specific data structure are unknown, limiting detailed analysis
• Metadata for license, author, and exact row counts is incomplete or missing

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Collection Method

Compiled global database from observational records

Time Range

1963 - 2021

Freshness

2026-03-01 18:42:47.588517

Geography

Global, with specific mentions of North Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Caribbean Sea