The Reef Is a Rare Bright Spot
The way this reef is thriving stands in sharp contrast to how climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, and other inputs have wreaked havoc on much of the world’s coral reefs. Studies have shown that coral ecosystems have declined worldwide by half since 1950, and all of Earth’s corals could be gone by the end of the century if the world doesn’t end the use of fossil fuels.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia has been particularly susceptible, suffering multiple bleaching events in recent years; a study released in 2020 found that coral populations of all ages and locations across the massive reef have nosedived over the past two decades, indicating that the reef is in a death spiral.
