<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/09/recovery-of-great-barrier-reef-stalls-as-scientists-point-to-bleaching-disease-and-starfish-attacks>
"A recovery in the number of corals growing on the Great Barrier Reef over
recent years has paused, with government scientists blaming bleaching, disease
and attacks by starfish.
Results from the latest annual surveys of more than 100 individual reefs show a
small drop in coral cover over the northern and central parts of the reef over
the past year.
The Great Barrier Reef – the world’s biggest coral reef system – faces an
uncertain future as the ocean continues to accumulate heat caused by the
burning of fossil fuels.
That heat has caused a series of mass coral bleaching events over the reef,
including four in the past seven years, that can weaken corals and affect their
ability to reproduce.
The report from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) details the
results of in-water surveys of 111 reefs carried out between August 2022 and
May this year.
The surveys came after the summer of 2022 which saw the first mass coral
bleaching on record to occur during a La Niña – a climate pattern that usually
brings cooler conditions.
The report said: “The effects from the 2022 bleaching event, the fourth in
seven years, caused some coral loss on some reefs. It is likely that those
corals which survived bleaching have been affected by reduced growth and
reproduction.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
