The three main regions where the barrier is located have been struck by warming water.
Le Monde with AFP
In Australia, around 91 % of the large coral barrier underwent a “whitening” due to a prolonged heat wave during the southern summer, according to a new government report published Tuesday evening . Of the 719 reefs studied, 654, or 91 %, have a certain level of whitening of corals. This is the first time that the largest coral reef in the world has been affected by such a whitening during the La Niña climate phenomenon, usually characterized by an abnormally low temperature of the waters.
“Climate change is intensifying and the reef already undergoes the consequences”, warns the surveillance report, which recalls that this is the fourth wave of “whitening” to strike the reef since 2016 . Between September 2021 and March 2022, the maritime authority of the Great Barrier of Corail, which published this study, carried out exhaustive statements on this reef registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The @gbrmarinepark Along with @AIMS_GOV_AU and @CSIRO REED THE REEF SNAPSHOT 2021-22, WHICH PROVIDS A SUMMARY… https://t.co/H0VYQWETL
The big coral barrier could be classified in danger
She has established that the waters began to warm up at the end of December and that the three main regions where the barrier is struck by the phenomenon, which results in discoloration due to the expulsion of Algae giving coral its bright color. Blanche corals remain alive and can restore if the conditions improve, but “strongly bleached corals have higher mortality rates”, explains the study, a first version of which had been published in March.
This report was published ten days before the Australian federal elections on May 21, during which government policy in terms of climate change will be at the heart of the issues.
In June, UNESCO must decide a possible registration of the Grande Barrier de Corail on the list of “in danger” sites. Australia launched a “Reef 2050” protection plan with billions of dollars after the United Nations threatened in 2015 to downgrade.