great barrier reef coral bleaching

The southern portion of the Great Barrier Reef, which largely escaped the major coral bleaching events of 2016 and 2017, is unlikely to be spared this time. Coral – technically an animal not a plant – can survive bleaching, but it is a sign of extreme stress and in the worst cases bleaching can cause the catastrophic loss of large areas of coral reefs. This is what happened with the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002, 2016 and 2017. David Wachenfeld, chief scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the government agency that manages the coral expanse off northeast Australia, said ocean temperatures over the next month will be crucial to how the reef recovers from heat-induced bleaching. In 1998, there was a global mass bleaching event where 50 per cent of the reefs on the Great Barrier Reef suffered bleaching. Professor Hughes is certain that the increased water temperature is the result of carbon emissions, and warns that climate change could bring annual bleaching within 20 … More than half the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef is dead or dying due to the most severe severe coral bleaching event in its history, the chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said. During this time, sea temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef were the highest ever recorded. This year's mass bleaching was the worst-ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef, following two previous events in 1998 and 2002. 'Worst coral bleaching in history' kills HALF of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of far north Queensland. Reef may recover. S cientists say an underwater heat wave in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has led to devastating coral bleaching – the worst in history - which has damaged or killed 95 per cent of the northern reefs. The Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass coral bleaching events in the past. Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered "very widespread" damage after rising sea temperatures caused the third mass coral bleaching events …