How is the Great Barrier Reef affected by humans?
Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.
How long until the Great Barrier Reef is gone?
The Great Barrier Reef is at a critical tipping point and could disappear by 2050.
What has happened to the Great Barrier Reef in 2020?
Tragically, the 2020 bleaching is severe and the most widespread we have ever recorded. Coral bleaching at regional scales is caused by spikes in sea temperatures during unusually hot summers. The first recorded mass bleaching event along Great Barrier Reef occurred in 1998, then the hottest year on record.
Are coral reefs still dying?
As a result, over 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years and up to 90 percent may die within the next century—very few pristine coral reefs still exist. The impact of our changing climate on coral reefs was manifested by the third global bleaching event in 2015/16.
Are corals still bleaching?
Despite their beauty and importance coral reefs around the world are disappearing fast. Carbon pollution is warming our oceans and causing corals around the world to bleach.
Why does coral turn white?
Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by a change in environmental conditions. They react by expelling the symbiotic algae that live in their tissues and then turn completely white. The symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, are photosynthetic and provide their host coral with food in return for protection.
What will happen if coral bleaching continues?
Bleached corals are likely to have reduced growth rates, decreased reproductive capacity, increased susceptibility to diseases and elevated mortality rates. Changes in coral community composition can occur when more susceptible species are killed by bleaching events.