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The Great Barrier Reef off Australia could undergo massive coral bleaching every two years from 2034. The reason is rising water temperatures due to climate change .
The Great Barrier Reef is threatened by more frequent coral bleaching. (Photo: KEYSTONE / AAP EPA / WWF AUSTRALIA / WWF / DOCUMENT BIOPIXEL)
(nda / dpa)
Biannual bleaching equates to death sentence for the world's largest coral reef, according to a report released Thursday the environmental organization "Climate Council". The survival of all coral reefs in the world depends on a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
During bleaching, tiny algae die that live with corals in a food and nutritious community (symbiosis). When coral inhabitants die, the coral skeleton becomes visible. When such whitening lasts longer, the corals die completely.
For the first time in two and three years in 2016 and 2017, the Great Barrier Reef of 2300 kilometers was the site of a large-scale bleaching. About 30 percent of the corals are dead. Mortality rates were as high as 75% in some areas.
For recovery, the fastest coral species needs 10 to 15 years, Australian scientists reported in January in the magazine "Science." Globally, the risk of coral bleaching has increased by just under four percent between 1980 and 2016.
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