Australia’s Great Barrier Reef hit by fifth mass bleaching event in eight years
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing yet another mass coral bleaching event due to heat, the country’s government confirmed Friday.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing yet another mass coral bleaching event due to heat, the country’s government confirmed Friday.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which oversees efforts to preserve and protect the reef, said a widespread bleaching event is unfolding that is “consistent with patterns of heat stress that has built up over summer.”
Scientists with the Australian Institute of Marine Science said this is the fifth mass bleaching event to hit the Great Barrier Reef since 2016.
Bleaching events are a major threat to the health of coral reefs around the world. Coral bleaching occurs as a result of abnormal conditions, such as when ocean temperatures are unusually warm or cold, or when ocean water is more acidic than normal. In response, corals expel tiny photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues, causing the normally colorful marine invertebrates to turn white.
Bleaching does not necessarily kill corals, but the process causes reefs to become more susceptible to disease. Corals can recover from widespread bleaching events, but when they occur frequently, scientists have said it is harder for reefs to bounce back.
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