the Great Barrier Reef is undergoing a new episode of “mass bleaching”

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing a new episode of “massive laundering”a deterioration caused by climate warming, the country’s authorities announced on Friday March 8. “We know that the greatest threat to the world’s coral reefs is climate change. The Great Barrier Reef is no exception”said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

This massive bleaching, the seventh since 1998, was confirmed by government scientists following aerial surveys of 300 shallow reefs. Australia’s coral reef authority said further studies need to be carried out to assess the severity and extent of bleaching.

This phenomenon of dieback, which results in discoloration, is caused by the increase in water temperature which leads to the expulsion of symbiotic algae giving the coral its bright color. Bleaching occurs when underwater temperatures exceed the long-term average by more than one degree. Ocean temperatures along the Great Barrier Reef have reached record highs in recent weeks, official data shows. Oceanic heat waves caused massive coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.