World's northernmost coral reef latest to suffer bleaching

TOKYO - Bleaching has damaged the world's northernmost coral reef in Japan, a researcher said on Tuesday, the latest example of a global phenomenon scientists have attributed to high ocean temperatures.

Healthy coral reefs protect shores from storms and offer habitats for fish and other marine life, including ecologically and economically important species.

After coral dies, reefs quickly degrade and the structures that coral build erode. While coral can recover from mild bleaching, severe or long-term episodes are often lethal, experts say.