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[XiaNaphryz]

http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Great-Barrier-Reef-sees-record-coral-deaths-this-10642884.php

Warming oceans this year have caused the largest die-off of corals ever recorded on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, scientists said Tuesday.

The worst-affected area is a 400-mile swath in the north of the World Heritage-listed 1,400-mile chain of reefs off Australia’s northeast coast, said the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

The center, based at James Cook University in Queensland state, found during dive surveys in October and November that the swath north of Port Douglas had lost an average of 67 percent of its shallow-water corals in the past nine months.

Farther south, over the vast central and southern regions that cover most of the reef, scientists found a much lower death toll. The central region lost 6 percent of bleached coral and the southern region only 1 percent.

“The mortality we’ve measured along the length of the Great Barrier Reef is incredibly patchy,” the center’s director, Terry Hughes, told reporters. “There’s very severe damage in the northern section of the reef.”

“The good news is that south of Port Douglas, including the major tourist areas around Cairns and the Whitsundays (Whitsunday Islands), have had relatively low levels of mortality,” he added.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Is it possible for the reef to regrow there or for a more heat tolerant species to take over?

 

[commedieu]

Is it possible for the reef to regrow there or for a more heat tolerant species to take over?

Coral grows like a hair a year.. :/

This is bad for the food chain..

 

[razgriz417]

Was just in Cairns in last month, was glad to see that the reef look good there. No signs of bleaching but yeah, the locals there were telling me about how bad it was further north.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

Footage from Green Island is heartbreaking.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4432792.htm

 

[Dryk]

Was just in Cairns in last month, was glad to see that the reef look good there. No signs of bleaching but yeah, the locals there were telling me about how bad it was further north.

The major tourist places will look pretty barren soon too if right-wing politicians keep dragging up chunks for photo ops.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

Green Island:

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Well....that is depressing as shit.

 

[Yagharek]

Is it possible for the reef to regrow there or for a more heat tolerant species to take over?

Slowly. I believe scientists from the university quoted in the op are researching and selecting coral that can survive warmer and more acidic conditions but even as that works or if it does, the regrowth will take aaaaaaaaaaaaages.

 

[Tadaima]

This is tragic.

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

Bloody Chinese.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

This is tragic.

Yep. And we can't even consider trying to restore the reefs until we get carbon emissions under control, and seeing how we in the US just put a climate change denier in office....I'm afraid we are going to see the end of the coral reef before I'm dead.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Man this is seriously a bucket list thing for me to see.

 

[TyrantII]

Kill the oceans, kill mankind

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Kill the oceans, kill mankind

Not if killing bees kills us first.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

When the first corals were being formed in the Great Barrier Reef, water was still flowing on Mars and early humans were still discovering the joys of fire.

Fifty percent of it has been lost within the lifetime of most Gaffers (last 30 years).

I think Agent Smith summed it up best: