| Translate This News In |
|---|
Authorities said Friday that Australia’s spectacular Great Barrier Reef is experiencing “mass bleaching” as corals lose their color due to the stress of warmer seas, a blow widely blamed on climate change. The world’s largest coral reef system, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) along Australia’s northeast coast, is showing signs of heat stress, according to the Reef Authority. Aerial surveys revealed coral bleaching at multiple reefs across the system, “confirming a mass bleaching event, the fourth since 2016,” according to the report. Notwithstanding the cooling effect of the La Nina weather phenomenon, which is presently influencing Australia’s climate, the Great Barrier Reef, home to approximately 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusks, was suffering, the authority said.
The area, which includes approximately 2,500 individual reefs and over 900 islands, suffers from bleaching, which occurs when corals expel algae living in their tissues, robbing them of their vibrant colors.
Though bleached corals are stressed, they can recover if conditions improve, according to the Reef Authority.
“Weather patterns over the next few weeks will continue to be critical in determining the overall extent and severity of coral bleaching across the Marine Park,” the report stated.
The mass bleaching report came four days after the UN launched a monitoring mission to determine whether the World Heritage site is adequately protected from climate change.
‘Haunting white coral’
Before the World Heritage Committee considers listing the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” in June, UNESCO will assess whether the Australian government is doing more to address threats to the reef, including climate change.
“The beloved, vibrant colors of the Great Barrier Reef are being changed by ghostly white coral,” said Martin Zavan, a climate impact activist with Greenpeace Australia.
He pressed the government to show the UN mission inspecting the reef the damaged areas rather than the scenic areas that had remained untouched.
“If the government is serious about allowing the UN mission to form a comprehensive picture of the Reef’s state,” Zavan said, “it must take the mission to the northern and central Reef.”
