What about extended periods of time? Do you know why there was a bleaching event last year, and not during the El Nino of 1998, on the Great Barrier Reef? I do.
They also are quite tolerant of lighting changes due to cloud cover, or tidal changes in the depth of the water, which filters out vast amounts of light.
Light tolerance and requirements are species-specific. Why do you think nearly all of the elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys has died off? Mainly because of increased turbidity due to more nutrients and runoff. Elkhorn is a shallow-water coral that needs lots of light.
While there is no easy solution, and currently excess nutrients are a much bigger threat to coral reefs than rising atmospheric CO2, there is a lot more to know about coral and coral reefs than what you can learn by raising them in an aquarium.
The article admits that the normal temperature range was not broken, just that it was warmer than usual for that time.
"Do you know why there was a bleaching event last year, and not during the El Nino of 1998, on the Great Barrier Reef? I do."
Then I'm sure you realise this article is nothing but complete BS.
"While there is no easy solution, and currently excess nutrients are a much bigger threat to coral reefs than rising atmospheric CO2...."
Ah-HA! See, you do know that blaming "Global Warming" on corral reef problems is unfounded, eco-extremist, scare-tactic "science." The real truth is this planet is one day going to be a cold, dead rock, and there's NOTHING man can do to change it in any significant way. Fragile eco-systems like corral reefs will always be the first casualty of a naturally occuring metamorphisis of this planet.