Most corals of the Great Barrier Reef are discolored – scientists

Discolored corals in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef

CoralWatch

Australian scientists have recorded coral discoloration around six islands in the extreme north of the Great Barrier Reef.

This happened after Australia’s official announcement of massive “bleaching” in the world’s most extensive reef ecosystem, informs Reutres.

Scientists from James Cook University surveyed the waters of the Turtle Group National Park – about 10 kilometers from the coast of Queensland. They found only a few relatively “healthy” areas of coral, mostly at depth.

“It was quite scary to see how severe the discolouration was, especially in the shallow water. They are all still in the discolouration stage – meaning they can recover if the water temperature drops in time.” – said researcher Maya Srinivasan.

Discoloration is caused by warm ocean waters. Because of them, the corals displace the multi-colored algae that live in their tissues and become white.

Discolored coral can recover if the water becomes cooler. However, if the temperature of the ocean remains high for a long time, it will die.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for about 2,300 kilometers along the northeastern coast of Australia. Over the course of eight years, it has experienced five mass discolorations due to climate change.

The data collected will help in further analysis of the effects of bleaching, cyclones and floods on corals.

Earlier scientists warnedthat during the next two years, due to record temperatures in the ocean and on land, there is a high risk of mass discoloration and death of corals.