Coral bleaching is evident across 73 percent of the famed marine park, as abnormally high ocean temperatures propel the world’s fourth mass bleaching event.
Bleaching occurs when heat-stressed coral turn white after expelling symbiotic algae that provide food and color. It’s a result of abnormal ocean temperatures in the past year that scientistsmarine park, 73 percent of the reefs surveyed have prevalent bleaching — which means that more than 10 percent of the coral cover is bleached, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which manages the area,Wednesday.
The dire update on Earth’s largest reef system comes just days after scientists with the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Coral Reef Initiative saidAccording to NOAA scientists, the world is experiencing its fourth global bleaching event, and the second in the last decade. At least 53 countries and local regions have experienced mass bleaching across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, they said.
The most intense and prolonged heat stress occurred at inshore reefs in the southern part of the marine park, with sea surface temperatures peaking at 2.5 degrees Celsius above average. “Southernmost parts of the reef, which had been largely spared previously, have been hit particularly hard this time, with bleaching affecting many more species, extending to greater depths, and affecting some of the oldest and most resilient corals,” said Simon Bradshaw, a research director with the nonprofit Climate Council. “This is a disaster at our doorstep.
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