Major Bleaching Events , Pause Great Barrier Reef Recovery .<br />'The Guardian' reports that the recovery of the Great Barrier <br />Reef has come to a halt, with scientists citing major <br />bleaching events among a series of other causes.<br />The effects from the 2022 bleaching <br />event, the fourth in seven years, <br />caused some coral loss on some reefs. <br />It is likely that those corals which survived <br />bleaching have been affected by <br />reduced growth and reproduction, Australian Institute of Marine Science report, via 'The Guardian'.<br />According to the latest annual survey of over 100 reefs, <br />a small drop in coral cover was discovered over the <br />northern and central parts of the reef in the past year. .<br />The world's largest coral reef system is facing <br />uncertainty while ocean temperatures rise as <br />a result of increased greenhouse gas emissions.<br />Increased temperatures have resulted <br />in a series of major bleaching events, <br />including four over the past seven years. .<br />This demonstrates that even less-severe <br />bleaching events are enough to <br />cause a pause in coral cover, Dr. Mike Emslie, leader of the long-term reef <br />monitoring program at Aims, via 'The Guardian'.<br />While recovery over the past few years was a positive change, that , “could turn around very quickly with another mass <br />bleaching event, and there’s still the risk from <br />crown-of-thorns starfish and coral disease.”.<br />However, we are only one large <br />scale disturbance away from <br />a rapid reversal of recent recovery, Dr. David Wachenfeld, research program director at Aims, via 'The Guardian'.<br />'The Guardian' reports that scientists say that reefs could <br />recover if temperatures are not too extreme, but they <br />could also suffer "sub lethal" effects from bleaching. .<br />The reef remains a wonderful, complex <br />and beautiful system, but it is at increased <br />risk with climate change driving more <br />frequent and severe bleaching events, <br />putting increasing pressure <br />on the ecosystem’s resilience, Dr. David Wachenfeld, research program director at Aims, via 'The Guardian'
