Guardian News and Media. (2021, December 18). Great Barrier Reef could face another mass bleaching by end of January, Forecast says. The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/19/great-barrier-reef-could-face-another-mass-bleaching-by-end-of-january-forecast-says
Research is forecasting another mass bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef by the end of January. Heat rising in the world will cause the northern and central parts of the reef to face a large bleaching event. However, there are currently predictions of cyclones that will lower temperatures, potentially steering away the bleaching event. The La Nina weather pattern has typically affected Australia’s weather patterns, and although there has not been lots of rain, there is hope for more to stop the mass bleaching this summer. Coral bleaching is caused by a stress reaction from heat, which weakens and kills the coral. If the heat continues to increase, there are chances of the great barrier reef being destroyed.
This article gave me hope but also worried me about the future of coral reefs around the world. As the world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier Reef is a large carbon sink helping the atmosphere and provides homes and food to life underwater. I think it is horrible that climate change can cause such huge effects on wildlife and habitats. I hope that in the near future humans can start realizing their effects on the environment and start working to stop climate change so these horrible situations don’t continue.
Addie- this is a well written post. La Nina, as you may remember, is the opposite of an El Nino event. Hopefully the cooler water gives some relief to the reef. Did the article mention if the bleaching is annual cycle… like it happens in the hottest period of the year? We have studied keystone species. I think coral reefs are keystone ecosystems. So much biodiversity is there. They are obviously worth protecting. Do you think there is anything that can be done to directly help the Great Barrier Reef that would be a shorter term solution given that rectifying climate change will take a while? Is the reef resilient enough to withstand the env. changes it’s experiencing?
Thanks for the reply Mr. Powell. The article did not mention whether or not the bleaching events are an annual cycle, but I think they mostly occur through extreme temperature rises. I think a possible short term solution would be monitoring coral reefs and possible breeding some out of the ocean to make sure we still have some left if the large reefs die from bleaching. Currently the reefs are not resilient enough to withstand the changes and are projected to die by 2050 if nothing is done to help them and if the patterns continue.
To me, it is pretty worrying that more isn’t being done to save the Great Barrier Reef. As something that is aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to people, these are the climate issues that people tend to care about more, yet it still isn’t enough. Do scientists have an estimate on how much time we have left(if nothing is done) before the reef is destroyed completely?
I totally agree. It is very worrying that people have not attempted to help stop these events because reefs are not only pleasing to people, but create thousands of homes for marine species in the areas. From short research, I’ve seen that the Great Barrier Reef will die around 2050 if nothing is done to help. I really hope this can be turned around and we can save this habitat.