Only 2 Percent of Great Barrier Reef Has escaped Severe Bleaching

Recent research has challenged long-standing hopes that much of the world’s great Barrier Reef has escaped global warming too, with researchers finding only 2 percent of its coral reefs have escaped global bleaching.

Why is this important? Over the last few decades the world’s waters have become much warmer and acidic as a result of global warming. This heat stress caused corals to expel a large amount of algae, which in turn heavily bleached the reef. However, not all of the coral perished in this bleaching event and the vast majority of reef remains intact. The reason for this success is attributed to the fact that the coral managed to escape much of the global bleaching event.

So how did the reefs managed to survive?

In the recent study, researchers looked into how the global bleaching affected the reef and how different countries’ climate summit could help restore the corals to their normal survival. It was found that although the global bleaching event had damaged the global coral cover quite significantly, only a small portion of the total had escaped the damage. Coral reefs cover an area of about 15 kilometers along the southern coast of India, Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean countries.

One of the major breakthroughs made in this research released by the Australian University was the analysis conducted on the previous two years worth of data. This analysis looked into how the average temperature rise in the Indo Pacific increased along with the amount of sunlight that seeped into the reef during the hot months. When the researchers took the data they compared it against the coral growing period between 1970 and 1998. They discovered that the two decades prior to the global warming took place at a much slower rate than the current two years. Furthermore, they found that the amount of coral growth experienced during this time period was much higher than the current decade.

During the recent study, it was found that coral growth had slowed down because of global warming. However, the speed of growth was unaffected by the increase in temperatures. Also, the study discovered that coral were able to adjust their photosynthesis rate accordingly to cope with the extra warmth. The slower rate of growth meant that less light would enter the corral and less nutrients would be absorbed by the coral. This means that global warming could not escape the link between global climate change and coral bleaching.

Professor Peter Scott from Macromedia University, Australia, said “The results show that bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals during long intervals of high temperatures.” He went onto say that coral is sensitive to changes in light and temperature and can build up a stress tolerance to long periods of high temperatures. He also stated that global warming is likely to cause future stress to these organisms, thus increasing the chance of coral bleaching. Global warming is the main reason why the worlds hottest year on record has not happened since July of this year.

During the new study, the scientists came across what they called a “regressive temperature drop” in the Indo Pacific. This occurred during a period of unusually high pressure. The drop in temperature caused an increase in thermal Demand, which in turn causes massive coral reefs to bleach out. They suggested that global warming combined with increased climate extremes, resulted in the rapid decline of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral reefs. This new study is important because it will allow coral reefs to serve as a control or reference point for future climate change studies.

This research was a proof that coral reefs can survive climate change and severe bleaching. One can only speculate if the number of dead coral reefs will continue to rise due to the lack of preventive measures and the global warming signal. However, the researchers say that if global warming is continued to the next century then there is a good chance that coral reefs around the world will have suffered severe bleaching. This will occur even if there are no visible changes in precipitation. These reefs are very sensitive to change, therefore, we must act quickly if we want to save coral reefs and their valuable food base. Hopefully, the the right leadership will pay more attention to these findings and take necessary steps to save the Great Barrier Reef.

Why Is the Great Barrier Reef So Important to the World?

The Great Barrier Reef is composed of more than 24 islands and thousands of islands in the process of moving closer to each other. It is also the largest coral reef in the world. You need to see it to believe it. This reef is made up of one hundred and fifty coral islands and more than twelve thousand islands in the process of being pulled closer together. These islands vary in color, form, size and shape. This is one of the main reasons it is so important to visit the reef if at all possible.

The reef is made up of three hundred and forty three islands that are completely surrounded by the world’s most magnificent oceans. This allows you to see the reef from the beach as you wade out to the ocean, but you can also see the reef from the water as you boat, kayak or float plane across it. You will be absolutely mesmerized by the sight of it all.

The reef is a part of the World Heritage site and World Parks system in Australia. There are only a few natural wonders like this in the entire world. It is also one of the top destinations for diving holidays. There are so many fascinating things for you to see and do while you are diving in Australia. This is why it is such a popular destination.

The reef itself is not the only thing that attracts visitors to the place. It is also one of the most beautiful places to see in the world. The reef is very important to the world and one of the most beautiful places to visit.

One of the most popular parts of the reef is the islands. There are so many islands that make it possible for you to dive into and see the world from beneath the surface. Some of the best diving sites are found in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and the Queensland region. One of the islands that should be dived at the very least once in your lifetime is the Great Barrier Reef.

It is a reef that is so large that it covers an area of more than two thousand square miles. When you visit the reef you will have the chance to see almost one thousand coral species. There are over four thousand different species of fish as well. It is one of the only places where you can see the full grown adults of the reef. It is also home to several unique animals like turtles and sea horses.

It is important to understand the importance of the Great Barrier Reef in the world. We need to learn how to protect it so that future generations can enjoy it as well. We also need to be aware of the problems that may occur around it so that we can prevent them from getting worse. If you are interested in diving, snorkeling, or just seeing the world at large then the reef is good for the must do list.

Provided by Antonio Westley

Disclaimer: This article is meant to be seen as an overview of this subject and not a reflection of viewpoints or opinions as nothing is definitive. So, make sure to do your research and feel free to use this information at your own discretion.