The Great Barrier Reef is undergoing its sixth mass bleaching event, as unusually warm waters stress corals, authorities say.
The Great Barrier Reef is undergoing its sixth mass bleaching event, as unusually warm waters stress corals, authorities say. Mass beachings have grown more frequent with rising temperatures, afflicting the reef in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, and again this year.
Aerial surveys along 1,500 miles of the Australian coast revealed severe bleaching among 60 percent of corals. Alarmingly, this is the first mass bleaching to hit during La Niña, the Pacific Ocean’s cool phase, an indicator of the severe impact of climate change.
High water temperatures cause corals to expel the colorful algae that live inside them, turning reefs white. If temperatures cool, reefs can recover, but persistently warm waters may prove lethal to corals.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
Photo Credit: steinchen via Pixabay
