The Washington Post (WaPo) published an article today discussing the fact that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) recently suffered its “sixth massive bleaching event,” blaming it on climate change.
The evidence that long-term climate change, as opposed to a short-term fluctuation in ocean temperatures, is to blame for the present bleaching event is limited. [bold, links added]
Also, the WaPo presents no evidence of a tipping point. Indeed, based on past bleaching events, reports of the extent of the current bleaching are likely overstated.
What is clear from the history of the GBR is that most of the coral that suffered bleaching is likely to recover.
In a WaPo article titled “Climate warming has dealt yet another blow to the Great Barrier Reef,” Darryl Fears writes:
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its sixth massive bleaching event as climate change has warmed the ocean, raising concerns over whether one of the world’s natural wonders is nearing a tipping point.
Reef managers confirmed Friday that aerial surveys detected catastrophic bleaching on 60 percent of the reef’s corals.
…
Unusually high ocean temperatures, up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, probably triggered the event. It is the sixth massive bleaching the reef has suffered in two decades, and the fourth since 2016. Back-to-back bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 affected two-thirds of the world’s largest reef.
Data does not support WaPo’s claims about the extent of previous bleaching events in the GBR.
Although some scientists widely quoted in corporate media reports on the 2016 bleaching event claimed 93 percent of the GBR suffered bleaching in 2016, subsequent research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) showed just 22 percent of the reef had bleached, with AIMS estimating more than 75 percent the bleached coral would recover.
As discussed in Climate Realism, AIMS’ survey determined there was “minimal impact” from the 2016 bleaching with hard coral across 85 percent of the reefs expanding year over year.
Indeed, rather than recent bleaching events indicating corals might be approaching a tipping point for the collapse of the reef, AIMS’ survey showed, as late as August 2021 corals were at historic high numbers.
AIMS reported: “Hard coral cover increased across all three regions (Northern, Central, and Southern) and most reefs surveyed had moderate or high coral cover.
“Overall, 59 out of 127 reefs had moderate (>10% – 30%) hard coral cover and 36 reefs had high (>30% – 50%) hard coral cover.” (See the figure below)
Citing AIMS’ data, in late July the United Nations World Heritage Committee (WHR) rejected calls to list the GBR as “in danger.”
The WHR’s decision came despite last-minute pleas by climate alarmists to ignore the AIMS’ report and list the GBR as being threatened with extinction due to climate change.
The present bleaching may be due to unusual temperature conditions in the oceans surrounding Australia.
However, climate change can’t have been responsible for the six bleaching events that occurred over the past 20 years because there has been no long-term temperature increase in the seas around Australia.
As discussed by meteorologist Anthony Watts, reporting on recent research, Bill Johnston, Ph.D., a former New South Wales Department of Natural Resources research scientist, Johnston compared temperature data from 1871 to recent data derived from 27 Australian Institute of Marine Science data loggers in a reef area where recent bleaching events occurred.
Johnson concludes:
No difference was found between temperatures measured at Port Stephens and Cape Sidmouth by astronomers from Melbourne and Sydney using bucket samples in November and December 1871 and data sampled at those times from 27 AIMS datasets spanning from Thursday Island, in the north to Boult Reef in the south. Alarming claims that the East Australian Current has warmed due to global warming are therefore without foundation.
If there has been no long-term average warming of the seas containing the GBR, warming can’t be threatening the GBR’s survival.
Indeed it would be surprising if warmer waters did pose a threat to the GBR or other coral reefs around the world.
Coral has existed continuously for the past 40 million years, adapting to often abrupt and significant temperature shifts repeatedly. Historically, coral has thrived during periods when ocean temperatures were significantly warmer than they are today.
Coral requires warm water, not cold water, to thrive and survive. They are unable to live and colonize outside of tropical or subtropical waters.
As a result, even as the Earth has modestly warmed, coral is extending their range toward the poles while still thriving at and near the equator.
Coral reefs are natural marvels, providing a unique habitat for abundant sea life and contributing to the health of the oceans. No coral reef is more justifiably famous than the GBR.
Fortunately, like recoveries from previous bleaching events show, contrary to the demise of the GBR implied by WaPo as a result of the recent bleaching which it blames—without providing a scintilla of evidence—on human-caused global warming, the majority of the corals bleached this year is likely to recover.
[The WaPo] should stop promoting climate fear and put the present bleaching in the wider context of history and science.
Corals have proved adaptable and resilient across the millions of years of their existence. There is no reason for believing they can’t adapt to mild warming, should it continue.
Read more at Climate Realism
Most of what YOU claim is false – and amounts to vicious attempts to deny or belittle the serious facts of climate change – and consequently impede human backing for efforts to stop them.
Trumpists and other “lovers of coal”, conspiracy-theorists etc. are busy attacking WaPo and other media bringing news on the matters, but your bigotry is utterly relealed as far as the Great Barrier Reef is concerned. Even Australian scientists talk about bleeching of up to 80% of the reef in the latest year – and the small recovery in some areas a year ago does not change that – unfortunately. It is going only one way: down – unfortunately. – One thing is denying human responsibility for global warming, but to deny the symptoms all over the place – not least the the extreme temperatures and reduced monsoon in the Indian subcontinent seen right now is “keeping an open mind so much that the brain has fallen out” (Carl Sagan, one of the greatest scientists in recent times)
It is like WaPo exists in a fact free fever dream universe. One free of data drive narratives. Filled with well used sciencey sounding predictions of doom that never actually happen. And when the predicted doom declines to actually occur, an older failed prediction of doom is trundle out tovbe “rediscovered” and resold once again.
The data of course shos the WaPo article to be pure bullshit, peddled by motivational corrupted charlatans whose living is to cobble together scary climate stories.
It always amazes me that the effects of “climate change” ( I use parentheses to highlight the fact that most “change” is by definition, weather change, as people talk about change over the last few years ) are often in remote or difficult to reach spots that make general verification almost impossible. Polar bears, Great Barrier reef, The Antarctic, Arctic Permafrost … yea … we believe you!
Ian Sloan, Your ignorance is appalling – but maybe your nonsense is a sign that you really wish “the evil to go away”. Serious climate change happens right here in Europe, e.g. – In the Iberian peninsula, with extreme heat and lack of rain (or such bursts at the wrong time and place that it gets more destructive and useless than useful) in the Iberian peninsula – Melting of tundra permafrost in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, causing serious problems for the Samians and their reindeer. Even here in my Denmark – where climate events have never been an issue it didn’t rain for five weeks and the word drought is becoming part of the Danish vocabulary. May be you can “afford” to visit those places if not the Reef or the Polar Bears.
The Washington Compost just like the New York Slimes are not realy news just leftists propaganda and should award itself a few Pinocchios