This research aims to quantify the long-term patterns of coral bleaching and evaluate the effect of ENSO phases on its prevalence.
Analyzed data from the Global Coral Bleaching Database covering 32,554 records from 1982-2023.
Performed three geospatial analyses: annual central feature analysis, Emerging Hot Spot Analysis, and optimized outlier analysis.
Identified spatial clusters of bleaching events in relation to ENSO phases.
Identified three primary cluster types during El Niño for maximum percent bleached: sporadic hot spots (22.78%), oscillating cold spots (13.51%), and oscillating hot spots (3.09%).
For minimum percent bleached, only two types were found: oscillating cold spots (13.51%) and sporadic hot spots (7.34%).
Significant clustering observed during ENSO phases with p-values of 0.05 or lower, indicating spatial and temporal variations in bleaching responses.