<P> Bleaching events in benthic coral communities ( deeper than 20 metres or 66 feet ) in the Great Barrier reef are not as well documented as those at shallower depths , but recent research has shown that benthic communities are just as negatively impacted in the face of rising ocean temperatures . Five Great Barrier Reef species of large benthic corals were found bleached under elevated temperatures , affirming that benthic corals are vulnerable to thermal stress . </P>
australia 's great barrier reef as well as low coral islands in the pacific are vulnerable to
thermal stress