MELBOURNE, Oct. 23 -- water coral reef ecosystem in Australia faces an extremely high risk of collapse by 2075, largely driven by projected ocean warming, according to a global assessment.

The assessment, led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) researchers at Australia's University of Melbourne and over 250 researchers across more than 80 countries and territories, found that 96 percent of the world's assessed coral reef ecosystems are classified as critically endangered, including all 17 Australian coral reef ecosystems, according to a university statement released on Thursday.

Researchers identified climate-driven ocean warming as the most widespread and severe threat to coral reefs, with increasingly frequent...