Greenpeace Australia Pacific has released video documenting bleached coral on parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in what the organization said is for a record second year in a row.
Marine biologist and conservation photographer for Greenpeace Brett Monroe Garner filmed the coral on Feb. 20 and in a statement via Greenpeace said, “I’ve been photographing this area of the reef for several years now and what we’re seeing is unprecedented.’’
Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. Mildly bleached coral can recover if the temperature drops.
While bleaching occurs naturally, scientists are concerned that rising sea temperatures caused by global warming magnifies the damage, leaving sensitive underwater ecosystems unable to recover.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee stopped short of placing the Great Barrier Reef on an in danger list last May but asked the Australian government for an update on its progress in safeguarding the reef.
The Great Barrier Reef at 134,400 sq miles is the biggest coral reef in the world.
(Reuters)
