Current:Home > NewsPredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:Climate Change Is Transforming the Great Barrier Reef, Likely Forever -FinanceCore
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:Climate Change Is Transforming the Great Barrier Reef, Likely Forever
Poinbank Exchange View
Date:2025-04-09 23:29:34
Climate change is PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Centerphysically reshaping the Great Barrier Reef, a new study shows, and parts of the reef system are likely in the midst of an irreversible decline.
Scientists found that coral bleaching that hit the Great Barrier Reef during a marine heat wave in 2016 transformed the structure of large swaths of the reef system, likely forever.
While previous research had shown widespread coral die-off in the reef that year, the new paper, published in the journal Nature, is the first to systematically link the mortality of different coral species to water temperatures. It found that about 30 percent of the Great Barrier Reef lost at least two-thirds of its coral cover in response to the 2016 event.
“When you lose that much coral, it’s the ecological collapse of that reef system, at least for now,” said Mark Eakin, coordinator of Coral Reef Watch at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a co-author of the paper. “It’ll stay that way if the reef does not have long enough to recover.”
When water temperatures rise far enough above normal, coral species expel the symbiotic algae that live on them and give the corals their bright colors. Bleaching weakens the coral, making it more susceptible to disease and death.
As global temperatures surged to record highs over the past few years, warming ocean water brought the most extensive and longest-lasting bleaching on record. Some research has suggested that climate change has started overwhelming even healthy reefs.
The Coral Species Hit Hardest Are Vital for Other Marine Life
The new study looked at what happened to specific coral colonies in the Great Barrier Reef system off Australia in the aftermath of the bleaching of 2016, and found that die-offs occurred with even less heat stress than expected. The worst-hit sections—in the northern part of the 1,400 mile-long reef system—saw the coral cover decline by more than 80 percent.
The die-offs didn’t hit all species equally. The authors found that faster-growing, branching species such as staghorn coral were particularly hard hit. These species also harbor much of the ecological diversity of the reef, so their loss could have profound implications for the fish and other creatures that inhabit those waters.
“It was a flattening or homogenization of the coral reef ecosystem,” Eakin said. “That has an impact on the rest of the ecosystem.”
Coral Bleaching Is Happening More Often
The multi-year bleaching event that damaged reefs in several parts of the world has abated, but its effects could linger for years. A recent study by many of the same authors found that bleaching events that once occurred every 25 or 30 years a few decades ago are now happening every six years on average.
The likelihood of a full recovery of the Great Barrier Reef’s corals is poor, the study said, in part because many of the surviving coral colonies were weakened so much that they continue to slowly die. The reef experienced severe bleaching again in 2017.
“Even in the least disturbed and healthiest reef system, after a severe mortality event like this it takes 15 years for the fastest growing corals to come back,” Eakin said. “Unless we get climate change under control, we’re going to see marine heat waves killing corals more quickly than the systems can recover.”
veryGood! (9918)
Related
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in hush money trial. Here's how much he owes.
- Jelly Roll's Wife Bunnie XO Claps Back After Meeting Her Hall Pass Crush
- Missouri Supreme Court strikes down 2022 vote on KC police funding, citing faulty fiscal note
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud-computing unit and Prime Video ad dollars
- Bella Hadid Started Wellness Journey After Experiencing “Pretty Dark” Time
- The Twins’ home-run sausage is fueling their eight-game winning streak
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Eight US newspapers sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement
Ranking
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Kendrick Lamar drops brutal Drake diss track 'Euphoria' amid feud: Listen
- Rihanna Reveals Why Being a Boy Mom Helps Her Embrace Her Femininity
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Vegas PDA Will Have You Feeling So High School
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Former 'American Idol' contestants return for Mandisa tribute
- US judges have rejected a map that would have given Louisiana a new majority-Black House district
- Life sentence for gang member who turned northern Virginia into ‘hunting ground’
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Amazon reports strong 1Q results driven by its cloud-computing unit and Prime Video ad dollars
A former Naval officer will challenge Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz in upcoming GOP primary
Fed likely to hint interest rates will stay higher for longer. But how high for how long?
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Wally Dallenbach, former IndyCar driver and CART chief steward, dies at 87
Melissa McCarthy Responds to Barbra Streisand Asking Her About Using Ozempic
A missing Utah cat with a fondness for boxes ends up in Amazon returns warehouse, dehydrated but OK