Comprehensive computer simulations show that coral reefs are likely to suffer extensive long-term degradation resulting from mass bleaching events even if the expected increase in global mean temperature can be kept well below 2 °C. Without major mitigation efforts to limit global warming significantly, the fate of coral reef ecosystems seems to be sealed.

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities and imbalanced DIN supply resulting in phosphate starvation of algael symbionts.

Recent advances in DNA-sequencing technologies now allow for in-depth characterization of the genomic stress responses of many organisms beyond model taxa. They are especially appropriate for organisms such as reef-building corals, for which dramatic declines in abundance are expected to worsen as anthropogenic climate change intensifies. Different corals differ substantially in physiological resilience to environmental stress, but the molecular mechanisms behind enhanced coral resilience remain unclear.