There are new reports about the condition of the world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia. The reef has lost half of its corals in recent decades, a new study shows.
The main reason is believed to be climate change. Andreas Dietzel, is a coral researcher at the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Queensland.
– The Great Barrier Reef has for the past five years been exposed to recurring heat waves with high water temperatures that have caused the colorful corals to fade and starve to death, he says.
So far, the fox has been able to recover if they only get enough time before the next heat wave or harmful storm hits them. But as the climate changes, the so-called coral bleaching has occurred more and more often. Now the researchers can also show that the corals’ ability to reproduce seems to have been disturbed.
For the first time, researchers can establish that both the really small baby corals and the large mother corals have decreased in number.
This may be a sign that enough new corals can no longer be born for the reef to recover in the same way as before. The world’s coral reefs are usually called the ocean’s nursery and are important for both fish and other marine animals.
Millions of people is also dependent on the reefs for food and income from tourism. According to Andreas Dietzel, the next five to ten years will be decisive for whether the reef will be able to recover.
– The most important thing we can do to make them start to feel better is to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions and slow down global warming, he says.
Source: ICELAND NEWS
