The planet is currently experiencing its fourth global coral bleaching event on record, affecting most of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). It is the second mass bleaching in the past decade, NOAA scientists said in a press release. Across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins, heat stress at levels high enough to cause bleaching […]
As the climate crisis causes global ocean temperatures to reach record highs, heat stress can lead to an increase in coral bleaching, which makes corals more susceptible to starvation and disease. Mass bleaching events are predicted to increase in severity and frequency, so scientists are trying to find solutions to protect sensitive corals. In addition […]
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef extends 1,429 miles over an approximate area of 133,000 square miles and is the largest coral reef system in the world. The magnificent reef is home to thousands of marine species, but for years has been under threat from pollution and climate change. The warming ocean has caused coral bleaching, and […]
The Australian and Queensland governments have introduced a more than $160 million package to phase out the commercial gill net fishing that damages the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, as well as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Area. […]
The Australian government on Wednesday rejected a proposed open pit coal mine that would have been located less than 6.2 miles from the Great Barrier Reef.
Eight coal mining projects located in the floodplains and catchments of the Great Barrier Reef have been considered exempt from providing environmental impact reports by the Queensland government, and six of the projects have already earned state approval. Environmental groups are lobbying for an end to these exemptions.
The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has recorded the highest amount of coral cover in the northern and central portions of the Great Barrier Reef since it started monitoring 36 years ago, reported Phys.org.
In 1968, a photograph taken from space helped galvanize the environmental movement. The famous “Earthrise” image of our planet rising from the moon helped raise awareness about the importance of protecting humanity’s only home. “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth,” Command Module pilot […]
The Great Barrier Reef is the cumulative masterpiece of generations of coral building on top of one another for as many as twenty million years, according to greatbarrierreef.org. Located in the Coral Sea, the 1,429-mile-long reef is the greatest living structure on Earth and is host to many species of marine life, including sponges, coral, […]