In Australia, 91% of the Great Barrier Reef has experienced ‘bleaching’

In Australia, 91% of the Great Barrier Reef has experienced ‘bleaching’

In Australia, nearly 91% of the Great Barrier Reef is affected “bleach” Due to a prolonged heat wave during the Australian summer, According to a new government report published on Tuesday evening,. Of the 719 corals surveyed, 654, or 91%, show some level of coral bleaching. This is the first time that the world’s largest coral reef has been affected by such bleaching during the La Niña weather phenomenon, which is usually characterized by abnormally low water temperatures.

“Climate change is getting more severe and corals are already feeling the consequences.”warns the monitoring report, which indicates that it is a matter The fourth wave of “bleaching” To strike coral reefs since 2016. Between September 2021 and March 2022, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority, which published this study, conducted comprehensive surveys on this reef inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Great Barrier Reef can be classified as a vulnerable site

It proved that the waters began to rise in late December and that the three main areas where the barrier is located were affected by the phenomenon, which led to a change in color due to the expulsion of algae, which gives the coral its bright colour. Bleached corals survive and may recover if conditions improve, but “Highly bleached corals have higher mortality rates”explains the study, the first version of which was published in March.

This report was published ten days before the Australian federal election on May 21, in which government policy on climate change will be at the heart of the issues.

in june, UNESCO must decide whether to include the Great Barrier Reef on its list of ‘endangered’ sites. Australia launched a $1 billion conservation plan “Reef 2050” after the United Nations threatened in 2015 to shut down the site.

Read also: This article is reserved for our subscribers Australians on the bedside of the Great Barrier Reef

The world with AFP

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