Largest Coral Die-Off in Barrier Reef

Coral across Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has suffered its most devastating die-off on record, a new report says in just nine months, bleaching caused by warmer water has killed around 67% of the coral in a previously pristine part of the reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. “We’ve seen three bleaching events (in the reef) and each time it can be explained by where the warm water was,” the report’s author, ARC Center of Excellent for Coral Reef Studies Director Terry Hughes, told CNN. “In the north, the summer temperatures got up to two degrees above the normal maximum and that caused severe bleaching.” Extensive aerial surveys and teams of divers were used to map the bleaching, which covered a length of 700 kilometers, Kdvr.com reported. Hughes said it could take up to 15 years for coral to grow back to previous levels. Threats to the reef have become so severe that in recent years UNESCO has suggested it could be placed on the list of World Heritage sites “in danger”.