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More Great Barrier Reef coral dies, report finds

Rising temperatures have already resulted in a mass coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef.

Rising temperatures have already resulted in a mass coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef.

More coral has bleached and died in the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef in the past month, new surveys reveal.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) said surveys over the past fortnight had revealed the die-off north of Cooktown in Queensland’s far north.

In the Princess Charlotte Bay area, about 30 per cent of coral has died, up from 2 per cent in earlier surveys.

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The GBRMPA said about half of the coral was dead at Cape Grenville, further north.

The surveys revealed bleaching and coral death levels were varied near Cairns, with further trips planned to establish the extent of the damage.

The authority’s David Wachenfeld said it was a mixed picture on the reef at the moment.

“We’ve had early signs of recovery on a reef offshore Cairns, with reports of coral recovering its colour,” he said.

“But in nearby areas we’ve had reports of ongoing coral death.

“So, some early signs of recovery but also signs of ongoing stress.”

GBRMPA said bleaching on reefs from south of Cairns to Mackay ranged from minor to moderate, with some patches of severe bleaching and coral death.

“Recent surveys from Townsville show outer shelf reefs are showing severe bleaching with some mortality but nowhere near as much as the far north,” Mr Wachnefeld said.

Getty

Some surveys say 95 per cent of some reef areas are bleached. Photo: Getty

Aerial checks of more than 900 individual reefs showed the spread varied dramatically along the Great Barrier Reef’s 2,300 kilometres, but the most severe bleaching had hit the northern section of the reef, which stretches 1,000 kilometres north of Port Douglas.

A survey of the northern part conducted in March showed 95 per cent of the reefs were now severely bleached — far worse than previously thought.

Of the 520 reefs surveyed, only four showed no evidence of bleaching.

Coral bleaching is caused by abnormally high sea temperatures that kill the tiny marine algae essential to coral health.

This is the third global coral bleaching since 1998, and scientists have found no evidence of these disasters before the late 20th century.

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