The Great Barrier Reef of Australia faces a major whitening threat every two years – Xinhua



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SYDNEY, July 5 (Xinhua) – The iconic Australian coral reef could be severely damaged by coral bleaching every two years, unless levels of pollution from greenhouse gases are reduced, warned Thursday an important environmental group. According to a report from the Climate Council group released on Thursday, an ecosystem could be hit several times with money laundering unless emissions are effectively and quickly cut in the coming decades.

One-third of the corals across the reef were already dead The group's counselor and ecologist, Lesley Hughes, said in a statement: "Severe bleaching, such as the 2016 event that devastated the Great Barrier Reef Coral, has more impact, and over the last thirty or forty years it has quadrupled, "she said.

"The mbadive coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 was at least 175 times more likely o occur because of climate change."

Coral bleaching occurs when reef colonies lose their bright color in waters that are too hot for the microscopic algae that live there. Bleached corals are physiologically damaged and prolonged bleaching will lead to coral death.

The probability that the Great Barrier Reef will completely recover or return to its pre-whitening status is low and there is little evidence that improving water quality According to the Council , the global sea surface temperature increased more than 0.2 ° C from 1992 to 2010, increasing the risk of more frequent and prolonged marine heat waves. 19659002] "Doing anything other than urgently reducing the growing levels of pollution of our country's greenhouse gases will essentially sign the reef death certificate as we know it today. hui, "said Martin Rice.

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