Best and worst reefs on the planets

They show that much of the northern Indian Ocean contains very stressful environments for coral, while areas of the Maldives and Seychelles fall in the middle of the most severe conditions.

The least-stressed coral reefs lie in an area north-east of Madagascar, including reefs off the islands of Mauritius, Rodriques and Reunion.

The Wildlife Conservation Society and the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth developed the maps by using a new scientific model.