The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than 50% of its corals in the past 25 years and the climate crisis is to blame.
The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than 50% of its corals in the past 25 years and the climate crisis is to blame. This was revealed by researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoralCoE) who have been studying coral colonies for some time.
The team found that colony sizes have changed a lot over the time span from 1995 to 2017, mainly due to the climate crisis destroying the ecosystem. According to Andy Dietzel, lead author of the study, while much research has been done on the impact of climate change on humans, there is still a lot to do on the reef floor.
"We measured changes in colony size because population studies are important for understanding coral demographics and the ability to reproduce," Dietzel said.
The results show an impoverishment of coral populations. “We found that the number of small, medium and large corals on the Great Barrier Reef has decreased by more than 50% since the 90s,” said co-author Terry Hughes.
“The decline has occurred in both shallow and deeper water, and in virtually all species, but especially in branched and flat corals. These were the hardest hit by the record temperatures that triggered mass bleaching in 2016 and 2017, ”he added again.
Branching corals are important structures for reef inhabitants, including numerous fish. Their loss is therefore devastating for the ecosystem because it affects the abundance and productivity of marine animals. "Our results show that the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef - its resilience - is compromised compared to the past, because there are fewer small and fewer large coral reefs."
A real alarm, therefore, which should trigger a change as soon as possible. “We thought the Great Barrier Reef was protected by its enormous size, but our results show that even the largest and relatively well-protected system in the world is increasingly compromised and in decline,” Hughes said.
Climate change increases heat waves. "There is no time to waste: we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible," concluded the authors.
Fonte: ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
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