It was the first time on record the reef had suffered bleaching during a La Nina weather cycle, when cooler temperatures would normally be expected
This picture taken on March 7, 2022 shows a diver pointing out at coral on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef has again been hit with "widespread" bleaching, authorities said on March 18, 2022. (Credits: Glenn NICHOLLS / AFP)
Sydney, Australia: A prolonged summer heatwave in Australia left 91 percent of the Great Barrier Reef's coral damaged by bleaching, according to a new government monitoring report.
It was the first time on record the reef had suffered bleaching during a La Nina weather cycle, when cooler temperatures would normally be expected.
The Reef Snapshot report offered new details of the damage caused by the fourth "mass bleaching" the world's largest coral reef system has experienced since 2016, which was first revealed in March.
"Climate change is escalating, and the Reef is already experiencing the consequences of this," the report warned.