The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral system in the world that extends for 2,300 kilometers off the coast of Queensland (Australia), is suffering its fifth massive coral bleaching since 2016 due to the climate crisis, according to reports this Friday official sources. The previous one was in 2022, and before that it suffered the most serious episode, in 2020.
"Climate change is the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs around the world," said Roger Beeden, chief scientist of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). ) in a statement published today by this government agency.
According to a report published today by the GBRMPA, laundering in the Great Barrier - which with its 344,400 square kilometers occupies an area slightly smaller than that of Germany - is "widespread." The phenomenon has "variably" affected some 300 reefs inspected during the southern summer - from the beginning of December to the end of February - due to warming waters.
The GBRPA indicates that bleaching has mainly affected the majority of Great Barrier corals that are closer to the sea surface, although it considers that more underwater observations are needed to determine "the severity" of bleaching in the organisms that live in deeper waters. The studies reported in this release are based on aerial inspections.
The government entity indicated that this new bleaching in the Great Barrier coincides with other similar phenomena that have occurred in the Northern Hemisphere in the last twelve months. This ecosystem, recognized as a World Heritage Site since 1981, has suffered massive coral bleaching in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2024. The cause of all these episodes is the warming of marine waters due to the climate crisis .
The increase in water temperatures causes corals to expel microscopic algae called zooxanthallae, with which they maintain a symbiotic relationship and which satisfy 90% of their energy needs, thus causing discoloration that can lead to death. .
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today expressed its deep concern about the frequency with which this bleaching occurs in Australia, as well as the fact that this phenomenon has coincided with the La Niña phenomenon, which causes more rain on the eastern coast of the oceanic country.
"Unless we see a significant drop in temperatures in the coming weeks, the risk of significant coral mortality is high," said WWF-Australia's Head of Oceans, Richard Leck, in a statement from the NGO.
The Great Barrier Reef, which has suffered the impact of climate change since 1990 and was on the verge of being included on the Heritage list several times, is home to 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 varieties of mollusks. EFE
