Climate change: Coral samples show Great Barrier Reef ‘in danger’

The risk that climate change poses to the Great Barrier Reef has been investigated in a study of samples taken from marine bodies dating back to the 1500s.

The great coral reef has experienced the highest temperature in the last ten years, according to Australian experts.

In just the past nine years, extreme heat has now led to five large-scale waxing incidents.

Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists behind the study say increased temperatures, driven by climate change, now pose an “existential threat” to this natural wonder of the world.

“The research tells us that the Great Barrier Reef is in threat- and we should be guided by the science, ” Prof Helen McGregor, from the University of Wollongong, told BBC News.

The coastal itself contains the new information.

Scientists from marine biology have been studying marine cores for many years, which provide chemical evidence about how the culture around the reef has changed as the species has grown.

Coral- which are animals, no plants- may live for centuries, laying down substance indicators about their normal environment.

Experts in Australia compared the data from thousands of these cores to historic sea temperatures records from the UK’s Hadley Center.

According to the study, the previous ten years around the Great Barrier Reef had been the best in the last 400 years.

” The recent events in the Great Barrier Reef are extraordinary, ” said lead researcher Dr Benjamin Henley, who carried out the study whilst working at Wollongong University.

“ However, this is bad news for the coast. “

“There is still a glimmer of hope though,” he added. ” If we can come along and restrict international heat, then there’s a glimmer of hope for this coast, and others around the globe, to succeed in their current position. ”

Corals have developed adaptations to grow and live within a certain temperature range, creating a skeleton that supports other aquatic life.

Coral and an unusual sea flower, an algae types, live inside the marine, providing it with foods and giving it its vibrant color, coexist in a cooperative relationship.

When corals expel their plants, which is then turned pale, the sea temperatures cause leaching.

“It’s never a pretty sight, ” said Dr Henley. “Eventually [other ] algae grows on the surface of the white coral, turning it brown.

” While bleached coral can recover, if the heat does not relent, it does n’t have the chance to,” he explained.

“ I’m a little reluctant to say things are doomed, ” said Prof McGregor.

Islands have experienced significant change over the course of geologic period. What kind of coast do we end up with, in my opinion?

“It wo n’t be like what we have now. ”

The Great Barrier Reef is currently a Unesco World Heritage site. Scientists hope that this research could persuade the UN organisation to change its mind and give the reef official “endangered” status.

This, according to Prof. McGregor, “would give a great message to the world about the magnitude of the issue.”

” We know what we need to do, ” she added. To stop the rise in global temperatures, there are global agreements in place.

” I believe we just need to place the politicians to rest and move on.” “