One-quarter of the Great Barrier Reef suffered severe bleaching this summer in the most widespread outbreak ever witnessed. One ofAustralia’s topGreat Barrier Reef scientists says a third mass bleaching event in five years.
詹姆斯·库克大学（James Cook University）的珊瑚礁研究中心主任特里·休斯（Terry Hughes）教授在2020年3月下旬的九天内从一架飞机上进行了1,036礁的调查。海洋公园管理局还在航班上有一个观察者。
Hughes has released maps showing severe levels of bleaching occurred in 2020 in all three sections of the reef – northern, central and southern – the first time this has happened since mass bleaching was first seen in 1998.
休斯说，2020年北部和中部地区的珊瑚死亡水平可能与往几年相同，但这部分是因为以前的漂白疫情已经杀死了耐热较低的物种。
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced five mass bleaching events – 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017 and 2020 – all caused by rising ocean temperatures driven by global heating.
Firsthand Account
We asked Nic Dos Santos Managing Director of澳大利亚超级珊瑚his perspective of this year’s bleaching event. Nic has over 25 years of experience diving most areas of the Great Barrier Reef, spending up to 260 days a year diving.
他说：“这是我见过的最严重的深水漂白，很遗憾地看到自己的眼睛。”
“这是第三次漂白事件，但我认为我们遇到的越糟！GBR的南部没有被旋风的云覆盖所避免，例如最后一个是为了漂白整个GBR，这项事件我已经看到深水中的所有珊瑚都严重漂白了。”
Nic mentioned inshore reefs, where they collect Homophyllia, Euphyllia, Catalaphyllia, and otherout of this world LPS corals,have been spared the worst of it.
“The water temps are now at 28C (82 F) and corals will now go into recovery mode, we have had a lot of rain and bad weather so the dirty water run off will provide a good food source for their recovery.”
But Nic said it wasn’t all bad news. He shared this video of an标志性的Acro栖息地. “I don’t want to depress you all!! there is a few reefs that have not been fully effected, this is a reef along way off shore, i was worried it was going to be effected but the water has cooled due to the much needed rain.”
