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Coral bleaching
As little as a 1° Celsius (1.8°F) increase in temperature above the
summer maximum can cause corals to bleach. Tropical sea
temperatures have increased by 1° Celsius over the past 100 years and
are predicted to continue rising.
An example of this problem is Australia's world famous Great Barrier Reef, which lies off the state of Queensland. At around 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) long it is the world's largest reef.
But in 2002 the reef experienced its worst ever case of coral bleaching, with over 60 percent of the reef being affected. Unless projected levels of climate change are slowed, much of the reef will be dead in decades. Deprived of their living homes, hundreds of species relying on the reef will also die out.
An example of this problem is Australia's world famous Great Barrier Reef, which lies off the state of Queensland. At around 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) long it is the world's largest reef.
But in 2002 the reef experienced its worst ever case of coral bleaching, with over 60 percent of the reef being affected. Unless projected levels of climate change are slowed, much of the reef will be dead in decades. Deprived of their living homes, hundreds of species relying on the reef will also die out.
