Researchers announce sixth mass bleaching incident on Great Barrier Reef
Australian scientists have announced the sixth mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef since 2016. In a report released on Wednesday night, researchers from federal government agencies indicated that the famous reef faced a "widespread...
TroibNews 
Australian scientists have announced the sixth mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef since 2016.
In a report released on Wednesday night, researchers from federal government agencies indicated that the famous reef faced a "widespread coral bleaching event" during the summer of 2024-25.
"Prolonged heat stress throughout the Far Northern and Northern regions of the reef caused widespread bleaching," noted the reef snapshot produced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
This incident marks the sixth recorded mass bleaching event on the reef since 2016 and the second instance of mass bleaching occurring in consecutive years.
Coral bleaching occurs when corals, under heat stress, expel the symbiotic algae residing in their tissues, resulting in a stark whitening of the coral. While bleaching itself is not necessarily fatal, bleached corals face a higher risk of starvation and may take a decade or more to recover.
According to the report, among the 162 inshore and mid-shelf reefs surveyed from the air, 41 percent exhibited medium to high bleaching prevalence.
Within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 9 percent of reefs showed very high levels of bleaching, but none reached a level considered extremely high.
In response to the findings, Richard Leck, head of oceans at the Australian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, stated that bleaching is "becoming the new normal" for the reef. He emphasized, "Year after year the Reef is being cooked by underwater heatwaves. It's our international treasure and it desperately needs serious action to drive down emissions."
The report also highlighted additional challenges faced by the reef, including impacts from cyclones, outbreaks of the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish, freshwater inundation, and coral disease during the past summer.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
In a report released on Wednesday night, researchers from federal government agencies indicated that the famous reef faced a "widespread coral bleaching event" during the summer of 2024-25.
"Prolonged heat stress throughout the Far Northern and Northern regions of the reef caused widespread bleaching," noted the reef snapshot produced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
This incident marks the sixth recorded mass bleaching event on the reef since 2016 and the second instance of mass bleaching occurring in consecutive years.
Coral bleaching occurs when corals, under heat stress, expel the symbiotic algae residing in their tissues, resulting in a stark whitening of the coral. While bleaching itself is not necessarily fatal, bleached corals face a higher risk of starvation and may take a decade or more to recover.
According to the report, among the 162 inshore and mid-shelf reefs surveyed from the air, 41 percent exhibited medium to high bleaching prevalence.
Within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 9 percent of reefs showed very high levels of bleaching, but none reached a level considered extremely high.
In response to the findings, Richard Leck, head of oceans at the Australian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, stated that bleaching is "becoming the new normal" for the reef. He emphasized, "Year after year the Reef is being cooked by underwater heatwaves. It's our international treasure and it desperately needs serious action to drive down emissions."
The report also highlighted additional challenges faced by the reef, including impacts from cyclones, outbreaks of the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish, freshwater inundation, and coral disease during the past summer.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
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