Coral bleaching, the process that turns corals white or causes their colors to fade, is currently threatening reef symbiosis, the mutually beneficial relationship between two coral reef organisms. This process is a valuable source of biodiversity, tourism and fishing, and scientists are now warning that coral bleaching is occurring in the Great Barrier Reef due to the warming sea temperatures, something that could rapidly accelerate unless its temperature cools down over the next few weeks.
Just last year, authorities pointed to a potential massive coral bleaching event stemming from the effects of El Niño, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies attempted to raise public awareness of the severity of its dangers.
"Current reports of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef do not equate to a mass bleaching event," said the center's director, Terry Hughes. "But we are concerned about a growing incidence of minor to moderate bleaching at multiple locations along the reef as the peak of summer approaches."
Janice Lough, senior research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, added to this concern.
"The latest Bureau of Meteorology forecasts suggest that we could see significant above average temperatures through the month of March, which may mean more bleaching ahead for corals on the Great Barrier Reef unless we get some windy and cloudy weather soon," she said.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's biggest coral reef system, and it is already facing challenges posed by climate change, farming run-off and the starfish that feed off of them. In fact, it was almost put on the U.N. World Heritage in danger list last year, although it missed the classification by a hair.
The Australian Conservation Foundation is currently challenging their government's approval of Adani's Carimichael mine due to the fact that the coal industry in one of the factors that is stimulating climate change and warming temperatures.
Ultimately, scientists believe that reducing greenhouse emissions as soon as possible and keeping the rate of climate change under control is the most effective way to combat the negative effects of coral bleaching that are currently manifesting in the Great Barrier Reef.
"Global warming - fueled by burning fossil fuels - is increasing the water temperature and bleaching coral reefs," said World Wildlife Foundation Great Barrier Reef campaigner Louise Matthiesson. "Right now, the Great Barrier Reef is on a knife-edge."
