GREAT BARRIER REEF SUFFERED WORST BLEACHING ON RECORD IN 2016, REPORT FINDS

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38127320

During this last year, the higher levels of the water caused one of the worst destruction of corals ever recorded in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. According to a study a 67% of the coral reefs located at the north of Australia it died. The bleaching coral begins when the water temperature rises during a temperate climate. During the February, March and April, the temperatures rose 1ºC more than usual, and the mortality of coral reefs was because this fact.

This coral bleaching occurs when transform sunlight into food, this leads to the aparence of white coral, which left without its main source of energy, as it becomes prey for other marine organisms such as seashells and starfishes.

Professor Hughes is convinced that the cause of rising sea temperatures it's because of carbon emissions and he warning that climate change could lead to a constant lightening. The most losses have been in the northern part of the island.

One of the arees most affected is around the Lizard island in far north of Queensland where the 90% of the coral reefs died. The Doctor Andrew Hoey affirmed that is very devasting to visit an area from 20 years you have to visit and now you see in bad conditions. On the Lizard island has been insatlled a scientific station that collects information from the coral reefs, and while we are pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the temperatures will rise further and cause the extinction of the coral reefs of the Lizard island.

In the central and southern of Australia where the whitening isn't frequent, there are scientifics that begins to concern that as probably a few years may damage certain areas that currently are in safe. The Australian government has published a plan for sustainability the coral reefs and it promised that investigate the bleaching of the corals. This plan is created to help coral reefs that will more resilient to the climate change in a future and trying to reduce carbon emissions.

I think it's important to safe and conserve this protected area, because eventually the coral reefs are disappearing, but not only affect at corals, affect many other marine species that use the coral reefs  for a source of nutrients, for camouflage, to lay and save eggs and it disappearing the colours and forms of this spectacular coral reefs.