The latest event in Australia follows mass bleaching in the northern hemisphere, sparking fears of a destructive global event.
An unprecedented fifth mass coral bleaching event in just eight years is rolling across the Great Barrier Reef, the result of yet another marine heatwave in another sign of theThe Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said aerial surveys indicated that two-thirds of the reefs that comprise the 2300-kilometre-long ecosystem along the Queensland coast showed signs of bleaching, which could be attributed to a marine heatwave.
The current bleaching event follows similar reports from reefs around the world over the past 12 months. Northern hemisphere reefs have suffered coral bleaching as a result of climate-change-driven elevated ocean temperatures, amplified byThe US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said bleaching in the northern hemisphere, combined with the likelihood of widespread bleaching in the southern hemisphere, put the world on the precipice of a global bleaching event.
Bleaching causes corals to expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white. Scientists say global warming is the major factor driving more frequent bleaching events. World Wildlife Fund Australia said it was alarming that this bleaching event was most intense at the southern end of the reef, where corals had not suffered extreme marine heatwaves before.
“This is a huge wake-up call for Australia and the global community that we need to do much more to address climate change, which is driving the marine heatwaves that lead to coral bleaching,” Schindler said.