Warming waters from escalating climate change have caused coral bleaching in 91% of reefs surveyed along the Great Barrier Reef this year, according to new findings from an Australian government agency.
Scientists from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority confirmed in March this was the sixth mass bleaching event of the reef on record and the fourth since 2016.But Tuesday's report, Reef snapshot: summer 2021-22, found almost every coral reef surveyed across the 1,400 mile system was impacted by bleaching. ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH
Watch what scientists found at new Australian reef 01:03Coral reefs are some of the most vibrant marine ecosystems on earth -- between a quarter and one third of all marine species rely on them at some point in their life cycle. But the rapid warming of the planet due to human emissions of heat-trapping gases is causing above average water temperatures, leading to stress events like mass bleaching. Coral bleaching tends to happen when water temperatures are much warmer than normal.
Drone footage captures thousands of turtles nesting 01:27The Great Barrier Reef's waters started warming in December 2021 and exceeded"historical summer maximums." It was hit by three distinct heat waves throughout the summer until early April 2022, which increased"thermal stress" throughout the reef's central and northern areas, the report found. Stressed coral ejects algae from within its tissue, depriving it of a food source.
See Australia's Great Barrier Reef create new life in 'magical' spawning event 00:57The report warned that the climate crisis remains the reef's greatest threat and"events that cause disturbances on the reef are becoming more frequent."It's the fourth mass bleaching in six years and the first since 2020, when about one quarter of the reef surveyed showed signs of severe bleaching. That event came just three years after back-to-back bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.
Video: 'Once in a lifetime' rare blanket octopus spotted in Australia 02:04The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's national treasures, stretching some 1,400 miles down the Queensland coast, and attracting around three million tourists a year prior to the pandemic.
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