This year, the Coral Sea recorded its highest temperatures in 400 years, threatening the Great Barrier Reef.
Researchers found the average temperature of the sea around the Great Barrier Reef from January to March was nearly 0.2°C higher than the previous record for this time of year.
Here’s what you need to know.
Findings
The study, published in the journal Nature, compared the recorded temperatures of the Coral Sea – where the Great Barrier Reef is located – over the January to March period from 2016 to 2024. The hottest year of this period was 2024.
During this period of increased temperatures, researchers said there’s been “a marked increase in mass coral bleaching”.
Bleaching happens when warm sea temperatures stress corals, causing them to eject the algae they need to survive and eventually turn white.
Bleached coral is more susceptible to death from lack of nutrients. Once corals die, reefs rarely recover.
Researchers described human-caused climate change, which has led to warmer sea temperatures, as an “existential threat to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.”
In April, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared a global coral bleaching event.
“The world’s largest coral reef is under critical pressure… Almost every part of the ocean, from kelp forests to the deep sea, is changing in response to thermal stress… We must take action now before it is too late.”
University of Queensland Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
UNESCO
In June 2023, the Australian Government made an agreement with UNESCO to introduce measures to better protect the reef.
These included improving water quality and sustainable fishing practices.
As part of this agreement, UNESCO said it would not consider the Great Barrier Reef for its list of endangered world heritage sites.
However, researchers said it’s possible UNESCO might reconsider its decision.
