Great Barrier Reef hit by coral bleaching: report
STORY: Most of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef is suffering from coral bleaching, according to a report released on Wednesday.
That's just days after climate experts raised concerns about similar damage to reefs around the world.
Australia’s reef management agency on Wednesday said coral bleaching was observed on 73% of the surveyed reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Coral bleaching is triggered by changes in water temperatures which cause corals to expel the colorful algae living in their tissues.
This phenomena threatens the survival of corals as they rely on algae for nutrients.
Roger Beeden, the chief scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, says the recent summer period was particularly challenging for the Great Barrier Reef, adding that climate change is the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs globally.
On Monday, the world's top coral reef monitoring body, Coral Reef Watch, run by the U.S. government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, declared coral reefs worldwide are suffering from a global bleaching event --- the fourth in the last three decades.
It says at least 54 countries and territories have experienced mass bleaching in their reefs since February 2023 due to warming ocean waters caused by climate change.
