This year's mass bleaching occurred even in the absence of an El Nino event. (Photo: Ryan McMinds/flickr/cc)
Apr 10, 2017
The Great Barrier Reef may be at a "terminal" point after being hit with unprecedented bleaching events in consecutive years, scientists warned Monday.
According to new aerial surveys conducted by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, two-thirds of the reef have now been affected, up from one-third last year. This year's mass bleaching occurred even in the absence of an El Nino event.
Professor Terry Hughes, who led the surveys, told the Guardian, "The significance of bleaching this year is that it's back to back, so there's been zero time for recovery."
"It's too early yet to tell what the full death toll will be from this year's bleaching, but clearly it will extend 500km (310 miles) south of last year's bleaching," he said.
Australia now faces a rapidly approaching deadline for saving the reef by addressing climate change, Hughes added.
"It takes at least a decade for a full recovery of even the fastest growing corals, so mass bleaching events 12 months apart offers zero prospect of recovery for reefs that were damaged in 2016," said Dr. James Kerry, who also took part in the surveys.
Bleaching occurs when overly warm ocean waters cause coral to get rid of its internal algae, which turns the coral white and erodes its structures. The loss of structure makes shorelines more vulnerable to extreme weather and destroys natural habitats for marine life.
A groundbreaking study published last year found that climate change is the primary cause of coral reef degradation around the world.
Jon Brodie, a water quality expert, told the Guardian that the reef was now at a "terminal stage" and that many scientists have lost hope that it can be salvaged.
"We've given up. It's been my life managing water quality, we've failed," Brodie said. "Even though we've spent a lot of money, we've had no success."
Others remained hopeful that the reef had a future, but warned that time was of the essence.
"You've got to be optimistic, I think we have to be," said Jon Day, former director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "But every moment we waste, and every dollar we waste, isn't helping the issue. We've been denying it for so long, and now we're starting to accept it. But we're spending insufficient amounts addressing the problem."
Hughes continued, "The sooner we take action on global greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels to renewables, the better."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
The Great Barrier Reef may be at a "terminal" point after being hit with unprecedented bleaching events in consecutive years, scientists warned Monday.
According to new aerial surveys conducted by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, two-thirds of the reef have now been affected, up from one-third last year. This year's mass bleaching occurred even in the absence of an El Nino event.
Professor Terry Hughes, who led the surveys, told the Guardian, "The significance of bleaching this year is that it's back to back, so there's been zero time for recovery."
"It's too early yet to tell what the full death toll will be from this year's bleaching, but clearly it will extend 500km (310 miles) south of last year's bleaching," he said.
Australia now faces a rapidly approaching deadline for saving the reef by addressing climate change, Hughes added.
"It takes at least a decade for a full recovery of even the fastest growing corals, so mass bleaching events 12 months apart offers zero prospect of recovery for reefs that were damaged in 2016," said Dr. James Kerry, who also took part in the surveys.
Bleaching occurs when overly warm ocean waters cause coral to get rid of its internal algae, which turns the coral white and erodes its structures. The loss of structure makes shorelines more vulnerable to extreme weather and destroys natural habitats for marine life.
A groundbreaking study published last year found that climate change is the primary cause of coral reef degradation around the world.
Jon Brodie, a water quality expert, told the Guardian that the reef was now at a "terminal stage" and that many scientists have lost hope that it can be salvaged.
"We've given up. It's been my life managing water quality, we've failed," Brodie said. "Even though we've spent a lot of money, we've had no success."
Others remained hopeful that the reef had a future, but warned that time was of the essence.
"You've got to be optimistic, I think we have to be," said Jon Day, former director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "But every moment we waste, and every dollar we waste, isn't helping the issue. We've been denying it for so long, and now we're starting to accept it. But we're spending insufficient amounts addressing the problem."
Hughes continued, "The sooner we take action on global greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels to renewables, the better."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
The Great Barrier Reef may be at a "terminal" point after being hit with unprecedented bleaching events in consecutive years, scientists warned Monday.
According to new aerial surveys conducted by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, two-thirds of the reef have now been affected, up from one-third last year. This year's mass bleaching occurred even in the absence of an El Nino event.
Professor Terry Hughes, who led the surveys, told the Guardian, "The significance of bleaching this year is that it's back to back, so there's been zero time for recovery."
"It's too early yet to tell what the full death toll will be from this year's bleaching, but clearly it will extend 500km (310 miles) south of last year's bleaching," he said.
Australia now faces a rapidly approaching deadline for saving the reef by addressing climate change, Hughes added.
"It takes at least a decade for a full recovery of even the fastest growing corals, so mass bleaching events 12 months apart offers zero prospect of recovery for reefs that were damaged in 2016," said Dr. James Kerry, who also took part in the surveys.
Bleaching occurs when overly warm ocean waters cause coral to get rid of its internal algae, which turns the coral white and erodes its structures. The loss of structure makes shorelines more vulnerable to extreme weather and destroys natural habitats for marine life.
A groundbreaking study published last year found that climate change is the primary cause of coral reef degradation around the world.
Jon Brodie, a water quality expert, told the Guardian that the reef was now at a "terminal stage" and that many scientists have lost hope that it can be salvaged.
"We've given up. It's been my life managing water quality, we've failed," Brodie said. "Even though we've spent a lot of money, we've had no success."
Others remained hopeful that the reef had a future, but warned that time was of the essence.
"You've got to be optimistic, I think we have to be," said Jon Day, former director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "But every moment we waste, and every dollar we waste, isn't helping the issue. We've been denying it for so long, and now we're starting to accept it. But we're spending insufficient amounts addressing the problem."
Hughes continued, "The sooner we take action on global greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels to renewables, the better."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.