As we have seen in previous articles, climate change It is causing the increase in ocean temperatures due to the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that retains heat from the sun. By increasing temperatures in the shallower areas of the oceans, coral reefs, which are very vulnerable, suffer negative physiological changes and the so-called whitening.
This bleaching produces the death of the corals and with it, all the fauna related to the corals see their hiding and feeding possibilities diminished. Whitening also causes reduction in fertility of the corals that manage to survive.
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is suffering the consequences of climate change and to this day 67% of her has died in the last nine months. This barrier has suffered other bleaching times in 1998 and 2002, but most of them were able to survive. However, on this occasion, the effects of climate change are becoming more pronounced and more serious and that is why this time it has been much more damaged.
This has been revealed in a study conducted by Professor Terry huhes, Director of the Australian Research Council. The only hopeful thing about this environmental catastrophe is that two-thirds of the corals in the southern Great Barrier Reef have been able to escape with minimal damage.
But how long will it take for the corals to recover after this condition. Experts who study the stability of the Great Barrier Reef on a daily basis estimate that the corals will need between 10 and 15 years to recover, Unless climate change is modifying cycles and temperatures are more pleasant so that recovery can take place more quickly.