Great Barrier Reef suffers widespread coral bleaching due to high ocean temperatures

Photo shows the condition of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland. - The Great Barrier Reef has been hit with "widespread" bleaching. (GLENN NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images) CANBERRA, Australia - Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering widespread and severe coral bleaching due to high ocean temperatures two years after a mass bleaching event, a government agency said on Friday.The report by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority, which manages the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, comes three days before a United Nations delegation is due to assess whether the reef's World Heritage listing should be downgraded due to the ravages of climate change."Weather patterns over the next few weeks will be critical in determining the overall extent and severity of coral bleaching across the Marine Park," the authority said.RELATED: Climate change: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in "critical" condition for the first time, report says"Bleaching has been detected across the Marine Park — it is widespread but variable, across multiple regions, ranging in impact from minor to severe," the authority added.The reef has suffered significantly from coral bleaching caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and 2020.

The previous bleaching damaged two-thirds of the coral.The environmental group Greenpeace said the severe and widespread coral bleaching suffered during a La Niña weather pattern that is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures was evidence of the Australian government’s failure to protect the coral from the impacts of climate change.RELATED: Climate change has killed half of the Great Barrier Reef's corals, study finds"This is a sure sign that.