Environment ministers from both sides are determined not to see the Barrier Reef listed as in danger. The question is – why?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Coral bleaching
Displaying 1 - 20 of 103 articles
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.
Coral in the Great Barrier Reef is once again bleaching, with water temperatures up to 3℃ higher than normal in some places.
The reef is suffering environmental conditions that are so extreme, scientists are struggling to simulate these scenarios in laboratories.
Marine heatwaves will happen so often that reefs will struggle to weather successive bleaching events.
The package comes as the Morrison government tries to convince the World Heritage Committee it is making every effort to preserve the reef.
The rapid rate of species declines means we should trial potential solutions before it’s too late.
New research shows just 2% of the Great Barrier Reef remains untouched by bleaching since 1998. Its future survival depends on how much higher we allow global temperatures to rise.
Academic research can shed light on crucial questions about what life on Earth will be like under the most plausible emissions scenarios. And a warning: the answers are confronting.
Friday’s decision from the World Heritage Committee doesn’t change the irrefutable evidence that dangerous impacts are occurring on the Great Barrier Reef.
Just because coral is dying, doesn’t mean marine life in reefs will end. New research found dead coral hosted 100 times more microscopic invertebrates than healthy coral.
Researchers found 16% of coral species have not been seen for many years. This finding is alarming, because local extinctions suggest global extinctions may be looming.
The development is significant for several reasons – not least that Australia’s progress under the Paris Agreement is being linked to its stewardship of the reef.
This is not an imaginary future dystopia. It’s a scientific projection of Australia under 3℃ of global warming – a future we must both strenuously try to avoid, but also prepare for.
New research shows nature started its long road to recovery in 2020 – especially in NSW and Victoria. But overall conditions across large swathes of the country remain poor.
Humanity is destroying Earth’s ability to support complex life. But coming to grips with the magnitude of the problem is hard, even for experts.
New research involving CRISPR technology has furthered our understanding of corals’ gene functions. Specifically, it has revealed a mechanism underpinning how corals withstand heat stress.
Top contributors
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Distinguished Professor, James Cook University
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Associate Professor in Physics, James Cook University
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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PSM, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University
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Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University
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Professorial Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
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Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne
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Research Program Leader - A Healthy and Sustainable Great Barrier Reef, Australian Institute of Marine Science
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Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
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Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader, Australian Institute of Marine Science
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Professor of Marine Biology, James Cook University
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Chair professor, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
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Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; ARC Future Fellow, UNSW Sydney
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Principal Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science
