Saturday, March 15, 2025

Creating liberating content

Trump Seeks More Sway...

When President Trump was criticized by some of the artists who were recognized...

Elon Musk says SpaceX...

Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship will head to Mars at...

Neymar ruled out of...

Brazil star Neymar was on Friday ruled out of upcoming 2026 World...
HomeScience & TechnologyParts of Great...

Parts of Great Barrier Reef dying at record rate, alarmed researchers say; “worst fears” confirmed

Parts of the Great Barrer Reef have suffered the highest coral mortality on record, Australian research showed Tuesday, with scientists fearing the rest of it has suffered a similar fate.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science said surveys of 12 reefs found up to 72 percent coral mortality, thanks to a summer of mass bleaching, two cyclones, and flooding.

In one northern section of the reef, about a third of hard coral had died, the “largest annual decline” in 39 years of government monitoring, the agency said.

Soft Corals Coral Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef
Coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during a mass bleaching event in 2017.

Brett Monroe Garner / Getty Images


Often dubbed the world’s largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 1,400-mile expanse of tropical corals that house a stunning array of biodiversity.

But repeated mass bleaching events have threatened to rob the tourist drawcard of its wonder, turning banks of once-vibrant corals into a sickly shade of white.

Bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise and the coral expels microscopic algae, known as zooxanthellae, to survive.

If high temperatures persist, the coral can eventually turn white and die.

This year had already been confirmed as the fifth mass bleaching on the reef in the past eight years.

ct5km-baa5-max-7d-v3-1-east-current.png
NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch alert system shows that many areas in and around the Great Barrier Reef are undergoing bleach alerts of varying degrees on their scale, which ranges from 1 to 5. 

NOAA Coral Reef Watch


But this latest survey also found a rapid-growing type of coral — known as acropora — had suffered the highest rate of death.

This coral is quick to grow, but one of the first to bleach.

Lead researcher Mike Emslie told public broadcaster ABC the past summer was “one of the most severe events” across the Great Barrier Reef, with heat stress levels surpassing previous events.

“These are serious impacts. These are serious losses,” he said.

World Wildlife Fund-Australia’s head of oceans, Richard Leck, said the initial surveys confirmed his “worst fears.”

“The Great Barrier Reef can bounce back but there are limits to its resilience,” he said. “It can’t get repeatedly hammered like this. We are fast approaching a tipping point.”

Leck added the area surveyed was “relatively small” and feared that when the full report was released next year “similar levels of mortality” would be observed.

He said the findings reinforced Australia’s need to commit to stronger emission reduction targets of at least 90 percent below 2005 levels by 2035 and move away from fossil fuels.

The country is one of the world’s largest gas and coal exporters and has only recently set targets to become carbon neutral.

Continue reading

Saturday Sessions: Wilder Woods performs “Be Yourself”

Saturday Sessions: Wilder Woods performs "Be Yourself" - CBS News ...

Trump Seeks More Sway in Picking Kennedy Center Honorees

When President Trump was criticized by some of the artists who were recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors program during his first term, he responded by boycotting the show, breaking with decades of precedent.Now, as he leads a...

Elon Musk says SpaceX will go to Mars at the end of next year

Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starship will head to Mars at the end of 2026. The ship will be carrying Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. The tech billionaire said that if all goes well, humans could be on...