Exposed Coral Reef in Panamá (IMAGE) Georgia Institute of Technology Caption Coral reef exposures during La Niña events, such as this one in 2010, kill the corals en masse. Frequent La Niña-like events helped drive a long-term collapse of reef ecosystems across the Pacific, which began around 4,000 years ago and lasted 2,500 years. Credit Lauren Toth Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.