Images show the extent of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef
Due to high water temperatures, many coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef are losing their color. The underwater ghost forest stretches over 1,100 kilometers.
Climate Council sounds warning: Heat waves cause massive bleaching of coral reefs on Great Barrier Reef.
Scientists have warned of catastrophic coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. According to the Climate Council, a local climate protection organization, new underwater images show the full extent of the disaster: from Lizard Island to the Keppel Islands, an area 1,100 kilometers long has already been affected, AAP news agency reported on Tuesday. According to experts, the trigger is a recent ocean heat wave in the region.
“Heron Island has been lucky to have been spared many bleaching events in recent years, but what's happening now is simply devastating,” said Diana Klein, project manager for local organization Coral Watch. The researcher has been visiting the island about 460 kilometers north of Brisbane in the affected area for 25 years.
With water temperatures up to 30 degrees, 80 percent of coral reefs are bleached in some places. She looked at the four meter wide coral that had grown over thousands of years – and now stood completely pale and white. Given the situation, the Climate Council warned that authorities may soon announce another mass bleaching event.
The Barrier Reef is a natural wonder that can even be seen from space. It is threatened by ocean warming. In harsh conditions, corals reject the algae that give them their color, otherwise they live together in a community for mutual benefit.
Bleached corals are very stressed, but they are still alive and can recover. According to experts, extremely warm sea water exposes them to diseases that can kill them. If the water doesn't cool in the coming weeks, it's only a matter of time before the bleached cnidarians die, Klein said.
DPA/aeg
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