Bleaching of barrier reef ‘a warning’

AUSTRALIA: The health of the Great Barrier Reef has entered ‘‘uncharted territory’’, researchers say, after they found there had been mass coral bleaching for two summers in a row for the first time.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and its partners took to the skies for six hours on Thursday to conduct aerial surveys of water between Cairns and Townsville.

Dr Neal Cantin from the Australian Institute of Marine Science said the level of bleaching observed was the result of a 1 degree C temperature increase during a ‘‘typical summer’’.

‘‘This is the first time we have ever seen bleaching in back-toback summers,’’ he said yesterday. ’’We are now entering uncharted territory.’’

Cantin said the latest findings served as a ‘‘strong warning’’ that more needed to be done to slow the rate of global warming.

‘‘We are on target to be 21⁄2 to 31⁄2 degrees warmer by the end of the century, which is not a good target for our reefs,’’ he said. ’’We are extremely concerned moving into the future.’’

GBRMPA reef recovery director Dr David Wachenfeld said the reef was ‘‘under severe pressure’’ but reports that it was dead were inaccurate. ‘‘It is still a great tourism asset.’’

Wachenfeld said the reef was doing what it could to repair itself. But it needed help, and ‘‘strong global action’’ by all countries was needed to constrain increasing temperatures to ‘‘well below two degrees’’.

World Wildlife Fund Australia head of oceans Richard Leck said climate change had ‘‘knocked the reef to its knees and now it is kicking it in the guts’’. - AAP