Great Barrier Reef

Australia Investing $377 Million To Protect Great Barrier Reef

3:02pm April 30, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Storms, warmer waters and coral-eating starfish have harmed the iconic coral reef system off Australia's coast. Now the Australian government has announced a plan to boost funding for the reef.

There are variations in the appearance of severely bleached corals. Here, the coral displays pink fluorescing tissue signalling heat stress.

Science

Climate Change Is Killing Coral On The Great Barrier Reef

4:46pm April 18, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

The ecosystem has collapsed for 29 percent of the 3,863 reefs in the giant coral reef system, according to new research. Scientists are learning which corals are the "winners" and "losers."

The sex of green sea turtles is determined by the egg's temperature as it's being incubated.

Science

Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground

4:47pm January 10, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.

Aerial view of the Heart Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef

While Corals Die Along The Great Barrier Reef, Humans Struggle To Adjust

10:51pm July 09, 2017

by Rob Schmitz

It's the world's biggest coral reef system, home to some 400 types of coral. In the past 18 months, rising ocean temperatures helped cause the single greatest loss of coral ever recorded there.

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A diver near Australia's Orpheus Island surveys bleached Great Barrier Reef coral in March 2017.

Great Barrier Reef Hit By Bleaching For The Second Year In A Row

12:20pm April 10, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Scientists say severe bleaching events have happened three other times in the past 20 years — but never in consecutive years. They fear that prolonged stress could kill the corals.

The deceptively adorable fangblenny is only 2 inches long and lives in places like Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Science

A Tiny Fish With Fearsome Fangs Uses An Opioid-Like Venom To Escape Enemies

6:18pm March 31, 2017

by Madeline K. Sofia

New research shows the 2-inch fangblenny bites bigger fish and releases an opioid-based venom. The larger fish becomes disoriented, and the little guy gets away.

Graveyard of Staghorn coral, Yonge reef, Northern Great Barrier Reef, October 2016.

Study: 'Urgent' Action Against Global Warming Needed To Save Coral Reefs

6:22pm March 16, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

After another major coral bleaching event, a new study has concluded that securing a future for coral reefs "ultimately requires urgent and rapid action to reduce global warming."

The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in August 2009. Scientists say they have discovered a second, enormous reef in the deeper water behind the Great Barrier Reef.

Massive 'Doughnut' Reef Discovered Behind Australia's Great Barrier Reef

2:10pm September 02, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

The reef structure covers more than 2,000 square miles north of the Great Barrier Reef. What might live there and even what it looks like up close, is still largely a mystery.

A marine biologist is engulfed by a school of barracuda and jacks as she conducts reef surveys in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

Study Finds 15 'Bright Spots' Where Coral Reefs Aren't Dying As Fast As Expected

2:23pm June 16, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Around the world, warm oceans and human interference are still causing massive reef "bleaching." A newly released study looks at what's different about these healthier-than-expected reefs.

Fish swim amid bleached coral near Lizard Island, Australia.

New Photos Show The Rapid Pace Of Great Barrier Reef Bleaching

1:38pm May 14, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Over six months, healthy coral is bleached and then covered with algae. Scientists say bleaching has hit 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia's "biggest ever environmental disaster."