1 Of World's Top Reef Scientists Demands Gov Release Latest GBR Bleaching Report
One of the world’s leading coral reef scientists has called on the agency responsible for managing the Great Barrier Reef to release maps showing the extent of coral bleaching, after a key report was delayed with no reason given. Aerial surveys of the sixth mass bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef were completed in March and are yet to be released. Previous events have been published within two weeks of completion.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday that a reef snapshot report on the summer of 2021-22 – which contains the results of the surveys – had been delayed, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority telling the newspaper it was unlikely to be released before the federal election. The aerial surveys pinpoint the locations on the world heritage reef that have been affected by the bleaching, the first to occur under La Niña conditions.
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He questioned why they had not been released, along with another major environmental report – the five-yearly Australia State of the Environment Report – which has been finalised but not made public. “We’re not supposed to live in a secret society,” he said. “I think they should release it. There’s a strong similarity here to not releasing the State of the Environment report.”
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The six mass bleaching events that have occurred on the Great Barrier Reef were in 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022. Hughes said “we will never see again” a 14-year gap between bleachings as occurred between the 2002 and 2016 events. He said the 2022 summer snapshot was also significant because this year’s event was the first time, due to global heating, that ocean temperatures had been warm enough to trigger bleaching during a La Niña.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/05/leading-scientist-calls-for-great-barrier-reef-coral-bleaching-report-to-be-released-before-election
