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Australian researchers warn the Coral Sea is the warmest it has been in at least 400 years, putting the Great Barrier Reef in danger. Lead author Benjamin Henley said the research, published in Nature journal on Thursday, involved drilling the cores of coral to identify geochemical changes and reconstruct past sea-surface temperatures. Co-author Professor Helen McGregor said it was like counting the rings of a tree to determine its age.
’s World Heritage Committee opted not to list the reef as “in danger” in July due to plans in place to protect it, a decision welcomed by the commonwealth and Queensland governments that jointly manage it. But that will not stop scientists saying it is at risk. “The process, in our view, should take account of the physical, the biological and the human aspects, and it’s our assessment that the reef is in danger,” Henley said. “It’s excellent to see local actions being taken,” he said, but added the focus needed to be on the stressors endangering significant sites. “And clearly climate change is the long-term driver of the stress to these coral ecosystems,” he said. Without rapid action, the reef’s demise is likely, the report concluded.
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