US government scientists have confirmed reefs in Panama, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico and six countries in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas and Cuba, are suffering significant bleaching, alongside corals in Florida that began turning white almost a month ago.

“I don’t think any of these places have seen heat stress like this before,” said Dr Derek Manzello, coordinator of Coral Reef Watch at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Coral reefs are home to more than a quarter of the world’s marine species despite taking up about 0.1% of the ocean floor and are considered one of the most susceptible ecosystems to global heating.

Dr Ian Enochs, head of the coral program at Noaa’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, has inspected the Cheeca Rocks reef that used to be one of the healthiest and most vibrant in the Florida Keys.

Depending on the species and the amount of heat, corals can recover from bleaching but scientists say they are more susceptible to disease and don’t reproduce as well in the years that follow.

In Panama, Dr Sean Connolly, of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, said there were reports of bleaching on the Caribbean and Pacific side of the country.