Reports of significant coral bleaching on the reef between Townsville and the Whitsundays have emerged just days before an international delegation assesses its World Heritage status.
After Far North Queensland’s third heatwave of the summer, James Cook University’s Terry Hughes says he’s seeing reports of widespread, variable levels of bleaching over significant areas
Terry Hughes, the founding director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, said he had seen enough evidence to suggest there would be damage across both inshore and offshore zones. But it was not possible to define the extent of the bleaching without seeing the results from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s latest survey, due on Friday.“I’m seeing reports of widespread, variable levels of bleaching over significant areas.
Coral bleaching is a political headache ahead of the election, due by May 21, with the government under pressure at home and abroad to increase its target for greenhouse gas emissions cuts. “The Morrison government has overseen record investment in reef protection, reef monitoring and reef resilience,” a spokesman for the minister told this masthead.
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