There have been four mass coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in the past eight years – scientists tell us this kind of stress means species don’t have enough time to recover, fundamentally changing the reef and its biodiversity.
The current marine heatwaves have caused swathes of the Southern Great Barrier reef to bleach, and the ominous marine forecasts for the coming weeks has almost the entire ecosystem in the highest alert level for another mass bleaching event. Climate pollution from burning fossil fuels is warming our planet, and with over 90% of atmospheric heat being absorbed by our oceans, severe marine heatwaves are pushing our oceans life support systems to the brink – the Reef bleaching so frequently is a canary in the coal mine for the entire planet, and the fate of this essential ecosystem foreshadows our own fate in the coming years.
Southern GBR
Northern GBR:
Far North GBR:
Australia’s leading reef experts are
