Study: Highest ocean temperatures in 400 years threaten Great Barrier Reef

Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Ocean temperatures surrounding the Great Barrier Reef are at their highest levels in 400 years, threatening "critical damage" to the iconic ecosystem, a study released Wednesday found.

Ocean heat in the Coral Sea is facing back-to-back record temperature highs. Five of the six hottest years on record have come in the past 10 years where the heat pushed the record average to as much as 1 degree Celsius higher.

The results, which were reported in the study to be published in the Thursday edition of the journal Nature , led to mass bleaching events on the coral reef during the hottest months of January to March.

While coral reefs can bounce back from bleaching events, repeated bleaching can eventually kill the reef, scientists said. UNESCO recognized the significance of the Great Barrier Reef in 1981 by designating it as a World Heritage Site.

"When I plotted the 2024 data point, I had to triple check my calculations," Benjamin Henley, who led the study published in Nature, said, according to Phys.org . "It was off the charts, far above the previous record high in 2017. I could almost not believe it. Tragically, mass coral bleaching has occurred yet again this year."

Henley, who teaches at the University of Melbourne, said world leaders need to be more aggressive in addressing the climate or treasures like the Great Barrier Reef may be lost.

"In the absence of rapid, coordinated and ambitious global action to combat climate change, we will likely witness the demise of one of Earth's most spectacular natural wonders," he said.