Severe coral bleaching revealed on Great Barrier Reef as UNESCO/IUCN considers whether to recommend 'in danger' listing   

New images and footage show that a widespread and variable coral bleaching event driven by a marine heatwave is underway on the Great Barrier Reef as a UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission to consider whether to recommend ‘In Danger’ listing for the Reef is in Queensland.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is expected to release an official reef health update today, having concluded aerial surveys to determine the extent of the bleaching.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and The Climate Council this week chartered a vessel to document severe coral bleaching occurring across parts of Stanley Reef south of Townsville.

Not all sections of the reef have been equally affected, with some areas, for example off Cairns and the Whitsundays, much less impacted. However, the fact that the bleaching is occurring during a La Nina weather cycle, which is typically cooler and wetter, is especially concerning. No previous bleaching event has occurred during a La Nina period.

The bleaching coincides with a new briefing from the Climate Council released this week, “In hot water: Climate change, marine heatwaves and coral bleaching” that shows that Australia’s reefs and marine ecosystems are at grave risk from climate-driven marine heatwaves. The briefing finds that:

• Last year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans, with current water temperatures around parts of the reef up to 4 degrees higher than average.

• The excess heat absorbed by the ocean in 2021 was equivalent to the energy of seven Hiroshima atomic bombs detonating every second.

• Under a high emissions scenario, the Reef could face bleaching every year as soon as 2044. This would effectively destroy the Reef and other shallow water reefs worldwide.

AMCS GBR campaign manager Dr Lissa Schindler notes “as our Reef undergoes its fourth major bleaching event since 2016, it is vital to show the devastation global heating driven by the burning of fossil fuels brings to our Reef.

“Our global icon is suffering as the UNESCO/IUCN Monitoring Mission is in Australia assessing the Australian and Queensland governments’ protection of the Reef for the World Heritage Committee. The mission should be taken for an aerial survey in a helicopter to view the most severely impacted areas, especially the central areas in the waters off Townsville.

“The bleaching event underlines the urgency of acting now to stop approving and supporting fossil fuel projects. This will help to reduce emissions and contribute to holding global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees - a crucial threshold for coral reefs.

“We have the solutions. By transitioning to renewables, we can drive down emissions, protect the 64,000 jobs that rely on a healthy Reef and create good paying jobs for Australians.”

Climate Council Chief Executive Amanda McKenzie adds “last year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans. Unfortunately, as more severe bleaching is reported across our beloved Great Barrier Reef, we can see these devastating events are becoming more common under the continuing high rate of greenhouse gas emissions.

“To give our Reef a fighting chance, we must deal with the number one problem: climate change. No amount of funding will stop these bleaching events unless we drive down our emissions this decade.

“We're the sunniest country in the world, but Australia is missing opportunities in the clean energy race. We can and should be doing so much more to drive emissions down to protect our precious ecosystems.”

All Images of Stanley Reef: Courtesy Australian Marine Conservation Society/Climate Council/Grumpy Turtle. Credit: Harriet Spark