This year's El Nino is expected to break records for its overall strength as it warms surface temperaturesSee more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred SourceThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYAustralia’s Great Barrier Reef is at a very high risk of extreme and widespread bleaching and “ecosystem collapse” linked to this year’s El Nino weather phenomenon, top scientists warned Tuesday. Morgan Pratchett, a marine conservation ecologist at Queensland’s James Cook University, told the International Coral Reef Symposium in Auckland, New Zealand, that the “extreme El Nino” posed a significant concern. “It’s not outside of the realm of possibility that the next major disturbance will lead to localised species extinctions… and widespread ecosystem collapse,” Pratchett said. This year’s El Nino is expected to break records for its overall strength as it warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.