Scientists have recorded the largest coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef

• The Great Barrier Reef has reported the largest coral loss in 39 years.
• The decline in coral cover is caused by climate change and rising water temperatures.
• Corals are becoming more susceptible to disease due to the decline.

MEILBURNE, Australia — The Great Barrier Reef has recorded the largest annual loss of live corals in 39 years of monitoring, Australian authorities reported. However, despite the increase in coral cover since 2017, corals have died off, primarily due to the significant bleaching event of last year, leaving a space of live corals within the long-term average.

According to the annual report of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the cover of live corals in 2024 has become the largest in 39 years of monitoring. "These are significant consequences, and it confirms that the increasing frequency of coral bleaching is beginning to have negative consequences for the Great Barrier Reef," said Mike Emmsley, the leader of the long-term monitoring program.

In the southern part of the reef, the cover of live corals has decreased to nearly a third, in the northern part — to a quarter, and in the central part — by 14%. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the world is experiencing the largest mass coral bleaching event, which has affected nearly 84% of coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef.

This bleaching event began in January 2023 and was announced globally during the crisis in April 2024. It has surpassed the previous largest bleaching event, which occurred from 2014 to 2017.

Corals are facing challenges in survival during prolonged periods of elevated water temperatures. Although corals can withstand short periods of high temperatures, prolonged warming leads to bleaching, when corals expel algae that give them color. Bleached corals are not dead, but they become weaker and more susceptible to disease.

Scientists emphasize that coral reefs are a unique and vulnerable system due to climate change, and particularly vulnerable to global warming, which exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Tags: Ecology