Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek has said a mass bleaching event is unfolding on the Great Barrier Reef – the seventh since 1998.
Aerial surveys conducted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science revealed “prevalent shallow water coral bleaching” that was consistent with heat stress that has built up over the past summer.
The teams flew over 300 reefs along the Queensland coast, spanning from Cape Melville north of Cooktown to just north of Bundaberg with further surveys to be undertaken pending weather conditions.
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“This unfolding coral bleaching event follows similar reports from reefs around the world during the past 12 months,” the authority said in its latest reef health update today.
“These Northern Hemisphere reefs have suffered coral bleaching as a result of climate change-driven elevated ocean temperatures, amplified by El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean.”
The authority said broadscale aerial surveys to be conducted in the coming weeks will help determine the severity and depth of the coral bleaching.
However, scientists remain optimistic that the risk of coral mortality may reduce if conditions cool.
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https://twitter.com/tanya_plibersek/status/1765893317441774042
“The Reef has demonstrated its capacity to recover from previous coral bleaching events, severe tropical cyclones, and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks,” the authority said.
Plibersek said the federal government remained committed to reef management and will work with the Queensland government in reaching their carbon emissions reduction target.
”Climate change is the biggest risk, not just to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but also to coral reefs around the world,” she said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.
“It’s a tough time for the reef at the moment but we’ll work together with governments around the world to make sure that we’re protecting our reefs for future generations.”
This story first appeared on Radio Today