Scientists have warned that Australia's Great Barrier Reef is experiencing the largest episode of "bleaching" ever recorded, according to a new Australian government report.
The negative impact was caused by high ocean temperatures in 2024, which caused "unprecedented levels of thermal stress", which has been recorded for almost 40 years.
The Australian Institute of Marine Research studied 124 coral reefs within the vast structure between August 2024 and May 2025.
The results show that the southern and northern parts of the reef have recorded the greatest negative impact.
Although the reefs have been hit by tropical cyclones and invasions by starfish that feed on coral, the institute's chief researcher Mike Emsley points out that, without a doubt, the root cause of coral bleaching is climate change.
The Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for 2.300 kilometers, is notable for its incredible biological diversity.
It has been on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1981. It is also on the List of World Heritage Sites in Critically Endangered Regions.
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