<
https://theconversation.com/the-great-barrier-reefs-latest-bout-of-bleaching-is-the-fifth-in-eight-summers-the-corals-now-have-almost-no-reprieve-225348>
"For the fifth time in just the past eight summers – 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and
now 2024 - huge swathes of the Great Barrier Reef are experiencing extreme heat
stress that has triggered yet another episode of mass coral bleaching.
Including two earlier heating episodes – in 1998 (which was at the time the
hottest year globally on record) and 2002 – this brings the tally to seven such
extreme events in the past 26 years.
The most conspicuous impact of unusually high temperatures on tropical and
subtropical reefs is wide-scale coral bleaching and death. Sharp spikes in
temperature can destroy coral tissue directly even before bleaching unfolds.
Consequently, if temperatures exceed 2°C above the normal summer maximum,
heat-sensitive corals die very quickly."
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
