Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could deteriorate if warming ocean temperatures spark another mass coral bleaching event later this year, the country’s top marine science body said on Wednesday. Sections of the reef had been showing promising signs of recovery until a bleaching event in 2022 turned swathes of the vibrant coral a sickly, pale white. The Australian Institute of Marine Science said that, although the reef’s condition had stabilized during this year’s “relatively mild” summer, it remained in a precarious position. David Wachenfeld, the institute’s research director, said the reef was at “increased risk with climate change driving more frequent and severe bleaching events.”

El Niño could imperil Australia's Great Barrier Reef. (2023, August 10). The Manila Times, p. B6.