Stochastic events are the random, unusual weather conditions such as wind direction and speed. But, this is probably unlikely to contribute to ocean warming without the influence of other factors. Other possible causes of coral bleaching include increased solar radiation, decreased salinity, sedimentation due to coastal development and run-off, and exposure to air at low tides or low sea level. It is also possible that pollution by copper, herbicides and oil can contribute to the bleaching as the pollutants can make the coral increasingly vunerable. Their studies have shown that the incidence of bacterial diseases correlates with changes of season and temperatures.
Some coral species tend to grow fast and have high metabolic rates.
These are the corals that are more susceptible to bleaching than others. One example of these is the Acropora spp. Coral reefs are usually able to recover from short term bleaching events, but the longer the bleaching occurs the less likely the coral is to recover. In 1998, over 60 countries reported the bleaching of corals. The cause was an El Nino event in addition to calm conditions, added to higher temperatures due to global warming.