by Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Nearly three-quarters of reefs in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are experiencing bleaching, Great Barrier Marine Park authorities said in a report on Wednesday, days after scientists said that coral reefs in many regions of the world were being hit by an episode of bleaching.
At least 54 countries and regions have faced an episode of mass bleaching of their coral reefs since February 2023, as climate change causes warming of the ocean surface, said the American Ocean Observing Agency and atmospheric (NOAA).
“The Great Barrier Reef is an incredible ecosystem, and although it has shown its resilience on many occasions, this summer has been particularly challenging,” said Roger Beeden, a scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
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“Climate change represents the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef and to coral reefs in general,” he added.
Coral bleaching was observed on 73% of the reefs surveyed in the park, the park authority said in its report.
The change in water temperature pushes corals to expel the algae they harbor in their tissues, which causes their bleaching. Without these algae, which provide them with nutrients, corals cannot survive.
(French version Camille Raynaud)
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