(Sydney) The Great Barrier Reef, northeast of Australia, is experiencing the worst bleaching episode ever observed, the authority that manages it announced on Wednesday.
“The cumulative impact suffered by the barrier this summer was higher than in previous summers,” said the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority, which depends on the Australian federal government, in a press release.
Announced in March, this new episode of massive bleaching, due to the rise in water temperature due to climate change, is the fifth in eight years.
The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches 2,300 km along the coast of the state of Queensland, is often considered the largest living structure in the world. It is home to extremely rich biodiversity, with more than 600 species of coral and 1,625 species of fish.
Aerial observations showed that around 730 of the more than 1,000 reefs observed had bleached, the Authority said.
This phenomenon of dieback, which results in discoloration, is caused by an increase in water temperature which leads to the expulsion of symbiotic algae giving the coral its bright color. If high temperatures persist, the coral turns white and dies.
In several regions of the marine park, “the corals were exposed to record levels of heat”, underlines the Authority.