We’re delighted to share our latest newsletter with you – however, it comes with a warning. Amidst stories of important research supported, you may find some content disturbing.
Yes, it’s those two distressing words – Coral Bleaching. In April this year, the Great Barrier Reef experienced its fifth mass bleaching event in the past eight years. For the first time, all three sectors of the GBR are affected: south, middle and north.
Lizard Island Research Station Director Dr Anne Hoggett shares her observations of the status around Lizard Island. She writes:
“ …. bleaching became noticeable in early February as water temperature climbed and remained high for weeks. By late February, in shallow water, most Acropora corals – the ones that are very common and that provide much of the reef’s habitat structure – were fluorescing or fully bleached. By mid-March, in water shallower than 5 metres, virtually all Acropora corals were either bleached or dead. By mid-April, the death rate of those corals was estimated at more than 80%. Even though the water temperature is now dropping, we won’t know the outcome for the corals that are still alive for some months. They have been badly damaged and it remains to be seen how many will recover.
Click here to learn more about bleaching and other May 2024 news.
Read past newsletters here.