Australia's Great Barrier Reef in trouble due to warmer ocean currents

Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef has once again begun to show new signs of coral bleaching. According to the government agency responsible or monitoring the Great Barrier Reef, there have been several signs of heat stress in multiple regions. This greatly increases the prospects of another major bleaching event.

Warmer ocean currents

According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a prolonged period of warm ocean currents has led to an increase of 2 to 3 degrees in temperature during the hottest month of the year on the reef. According to Dr David Wachenfeld, the authority's chief scientist, said in his weekly video update, the rise in temperatures is very concerning and it has only intensified in the last week.

The marine park authority is using all its resource such as divers, helicopter patrols, and observations by the public to investigate the renewed bleaching. According to Mr Lyle Vail, who is the director of the Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station, he has observed a large per cent of the coral present in shallow waters display varying levels of coral bleaching.

Read: Underwater Museum: Great Barrier Reef To Open Its 'Museum Of Underwater Art' In December, With Sculptures On The Seabed For Divers

Read: Australian Court Bans Shark Culling In Queensland, Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef encompasses 2,300 kilometres in Australia's northeastern coast and spans an area that half the size of Texas. The reef only begun recovering after two consecutive years of hot waters led to massive coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017.

(Image Credit: Pixabay)

Read: Shark Bites 2 British Men On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Read: Jennifer Lopez Thinks She Would Make A Great Batman And Robert Pattinson Agrees