An identical analytical treatment of sea temperature data from Tahiti yields a similar plot (Fig. 1b), highlighting anomalous temperatures which correlate with years whenextensive bleachingwasreported.Againthepositive trend (P(0.02) is clear with continued warming (0.08°C per decade) potentially leading to bleaching episodes of increased frequency and intensity. Although coral bleaching is a topic which has been extensively reviewed to date (Brown 1987; Williams and Bunkley-Williams1990; Glynn 1984, 1991, 1993), the purpose of this overview is to highlight areas which have received little attention and new data which have significant implications regarding the causes and consequences of bleaching. Given the implications of a future decade when coral bleaching may become a regular feature at some reef sites, it is timely to reconsider the current status of knowledge particularly with respect to environmental and biological triggers eliciting bleaching, the cellular mechanisms involved and the key targets of damage, as well as the broader perspective of the ecological fate of reefs subjected to bleaching.