Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is undergoing a process of “mass bleaching”, a deterioration caused by climate change, authorities announced on Friday.
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“ We know that the greatest threat to the world’s coral reefs is climate change. The Great Barrier Reef is no exception “, said Minister of the Environment Tanya Plibersek.
This episode of mass bleaching, the seventh since 1998, was confirmed by government scientists following aerial surveys of 300 shallow reefs. Australia’s coral reef authority said further studies need to be carried out to assess the severity and extent of bleaching.
Ocean heat waves
This phenomenon of dieback, which results in discoloration, is caused by the increase in water temperature which leads to the expulsion of symbiotic algae giving the coral its bright color. It occurs when underwater temperatures exceed the long-term average by more than one degree.
Ocean temperatures along the Great Barrier Reef have reached record highs in recent weeks, official data shows. Oceanic heat waves caused massive coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.
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