The Great Barrier Reef is facing its worst summer of sustained heat stress since the mass bleaching event of 1998, but now with less time to recover amid repeated brutal conditions.
The best strategy to protecting Earth’s coral reefs is to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. But in the meantime, we must urgently make corals more resilient.
Tourists flock to see coral reefs in Gili Matra, near Bali, which are at growing risk from warming seas. Locals are working to restore coral, while coming up with new income sources – like fish floss.
Severe bleaching is forecast to hit 12 Indonesian marine protected areas every year by 2030 – then spread to other areas. Here’s what locals, experts and the government say we need to do to save them.
Understanding how both cloud cover and temperature work to promote coral bleaching provides valuable insight into how reefs will change over various climate scenarios.
Paul Hardisty, Australian Institute of Marine Science and Line K Bay, Australian Institute of Marine Science
We used to focus just on protection of vital ecosystems like the reef. But as climate change and other threats accelerate, we need to actively help nature get ready for the heat.
Efforts to save the reef aren’t tackling the main cause: climate change. What we need from our next federal government is strong leadership to avert the climate crisis.
Researchers have long suspected that an ingredient in sunscreen called oxybenzone was harming corals, but no one knew how. A new study shows how corals turn oxybenzone into a sunlight-activated toxin.
Coral reefs that suffer widespread bleaching can still recover if conditions improve, but it’s estimated to take up to 12 years. And that’s if no more bleaching events occur.
Laboratory studies suggest sunscreen chemicals are dangerous to coral reefs. But in real world conditions, that’s not true. Bleaching must have another cause.