An update from the Great Barrier Reef
With this vast ocean wonder experiencing its third major bleaching event in five years, Parley Australia’s Christian Miller and Pablo Cogollos report from the reef
Photo by Christian Miller
With the worsening coronavirus outbreak focussing the world’s attention, a major natural disaster is taking place out of the spotlight off the coast of Australia. After a summer of extreme heat and fires in our country, it’s news that many Australians don’t want to hear: the Great Barrier Reef is currently undergoing its third mass bleaching event in the past five years.
With over 3800 independent reefs, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) stretches 2400km along the East coast of the country and is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Despite the robustness, complexity and resilience of the GBR, this huge web of life is facing yet another unprecedented bleaching event, making this one the most widespread on record.
Photos by Pablo Cogollos
After heightened water temperatures caused damage in 2016 and 2017, when about half of the shallow-water corals died in the northern and central sections of the GBR, the reef was given a chance to breathe. In the beginning of the Australian summer of 2019 scientists witnessed successful coral spawning events thanks to the lower water temperatures. That period saw impressive coral reproduction and recovery in many areas that suffered stress during these two bleaching events.
Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to spikes in sea temperatures. When heat-stressed, corals expel photo-synthetic algae, which gives the coral their colors while also providing food for the corals. Once expelled, the stressed corals turn a pale white. While corals can recover from mild bleaching, severe and prolonged heat stress can ultimately kill them.
Photo by Christian Miller — Healthy Corals
Photo by Christian Miller — 2017 Bleaching Event
Flash-forward to 2020, and many regions of the reef are being severely affected, but others are positioned in just the right currents, keeping the water temperature within levels that the corals can tolerate. The following weeks are crucial. So far there have been sudden, brief weather changes, such as cyclones and low pressure systems, which can help to push colder water, rain and overcast conditions into the area. Current reef health conditions are varied across the GBR, according to the Marine Park Authority. Scientists are continuing to collect data and observe the evolution and recovery of those areas affected by accumulated heat stress over the next few months.
We are at the mercy of nature. Maybe the fact that the world is almost at full stop right now will show us that nature needs to take a breath from us, maybe we come to realize that there is so much more at stake if we continue business as usual. We need to use this downtime to implement the changes we should have done a long time ago. Now we can reinvent and innovate, so when we start up again, we do it better – both for us and the natural world around us.
Photo by Pablo Cogollos
READ MORE
