The Cairns Post
Scientists are predicting a higher-than-average risk of coral bleaching this summer - and calling on industries and communities to reduce pressures on the Great Barrier Reef.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority climate change director Paul Marshall said climate change was causing rising summer sea temperatures and coral reefs were increasingly at risk from mass coral bleaching.
"The best weather and climate information currently available for this summer from the Bureau of Meteorology indicates a greater than average risk that the Great Barrier Reef could suffer from widespread bleaching," he warned this week.
Whether sea temperatures increased to levels that are stressful to corals depended on a complex mix of regional water temperatures, local air temperatures, cloud cover, winds and rainfall, he said.
The worst years so far have been 1998 and 2002 - also the two hottest summers on record.
Dr Marshall urged divers and others to report coral bleach sightings to the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority.
They could also help by being more conscious of the environment around the home, he said.
"We can all reduce energy use, choose sustainable transport options, adhere to zoning and fishing regulations, minimise pollutants in water run-off and dispose properly of waste," he said.
"The reef is directly affected by poor water quality, overfishing, marine pollution, increasing carbon emissions and other coastal impacts. And those very, very hot summers that affect the corals also affect many other sorts of plants and animals - seagrasses suffer a great deal from hot temperatures and sea birds and turtles can also suffer, particularly when they're nesting."
Dr Marshall's warning comes as new studies suggest marine reserves are failing to protect coral reefs from climate change.University of North Carolina's Associate Professor John Bruno has compared more than 8000 reefs in the Indian, Caribbean and Pacific. He said marine reserves in those areas were effective in protecting coral from local factors such as over-fishing and pollution but they had not slowed the effects of global warming.
Reef visitors are urged to report sightings of coral bleaching on the Reef by downloading and filling in a BleachWatch monitoring form at www.gbrmpa.gov.au