The surface temperature of the waters of Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef has reached the highest record in 400 years

According to news on August 9, Australian researchers have published a paper in the new issue of the British journal Nature, saying that the surface temperature of the waters of Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef has reached the highest record in 400 years, and this kind of high temperature related to climate change poses an "existential threat" to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.

Researchers from institutions such as the University of Wollongong in Australia ***yzed coral bone samples from the Great Barrier Reef waters to calculate sea surface temperature data dating back to 1618. The results show that before 1900, the sea surface temperature was relatively stable; but from 1900 to 2024, the sea surface temperature from January to March increased by 0.09 degrees Celsius every 10 years; and this warming trend has become faster and faster. If only looking at the period from 1960 to 2024, the sea surface temperature from January to March increased by 0.12 degrees Celsius every 10 years. In 2024, the sea surface temperature from January to March was 1.73 degrees Celsius higher than the reference value before 1900, setting a new record.

Observations show that in just the past nine years, high sea temperatures have caused five large-scale coral bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef. Professor Helen McGregor from the University of Wollongong said: "Science tells us that the Great Barrier Reef is in danger." McGregor said that if climate change caused by human activities is not addressed in time, the Great Barrier Reef may face catastrophic consequences.

The Great Barrier Reef is the collective name for a series of coral reefs off the northeastern coast of Australia. It is over 2,000 kilometers long and is the world's largest coral reef group and one of the most complex natural ecosystems on Earth. Data from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority shows that a wide variety of creatures live in the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem, including about 600 species of coral, more than 100 species of jellyfish, about 3,000 species of mollusks, about 500 species of worms, more than 1,600 species of fish, and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins.

Researchers believe that this famous ecosystem is facing an "existential threat" due to the warming trend. The lead author of the paper, Benjamin Henry, said: "I think in 20 to 30 years, the Great Barrier Reef is likely to become a completely different place."