Large sections of the Great Barrier Reef, the Earth's largest living structure, are dying before our eyes. Sustained high sea temperatures have stressed the corals to the poin where they expel the brightly coloured algae that live within their tissues. This process is aptly named bleaching as it removes all pigment and exposes the shocking white calcium skeleton of the reef structures.
The coral can bertahan in this state for up to a few weeks. Thereafter, if temperatures do not decrease then they will die. Situs Togel Online
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced bleaching momens twice before. The first, in 1998, was bad enough, with 50% of the reef affected. 2002 was even worse with 60% of the reef bleached. Recent aerial surveys of the northern 1000km of the reef evaluated 500 different sections - 95% were bleached.
The full impact that such bleaching is having will not be known until biologists directly observe the corals in the water. Estimates coming back from initial pantauan show that on some reefs more than half of the coral has already died. Situs Togel Terpercaya
Given the record-shattering temperatures over the past year, coral researchers were preparing themselves for another mass bleaching. But the scale of this momen has left some researchers stunned. Or angry. Returning from five weeks investigating the reefs, Jodie Rummer, a biologist at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies said: Agen Togel Terpercaya
"I witnessed a sight underwater that no marine biologist, and no personal with a love and appreciation for the wajar world for that matter, wants to see".
Many are asking the sederhana question - why is this happening? First, we need to stress that there was not a singgel coral bleaching momen on the Great Barrier Reef in the 400 years prior to 1998. While the current extreme El Niño is playing a part in this latest adegan of coral destruction, the underlying driver is increasing global temperatures as a consequence of human-made climate change.
