A survey of the Great Barrier Reef by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has found the northern and central reef regions have the highest coral cover seen since the regular surveys began 36 years ago.
The Great Barrier reef is not one single reef but a large series of reefs along the coast of Queensland in north east Australia.
According to the AIMS report, “In the 87 representative reefs surveyed between August 2021 and May 2022 under the AIMS Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP), average hard coral cover in the region north of Cooktown increased to 36% (from 27% in 2021) and to 33% in the central Great Barrier Reef (from 26% in 2021).” The report also noted a decrease in coral cover in southern regions of the reef, from 38% in 2021 to 34%. The report explained: “Percent hard coral cover describes the proportion of the reef that is covered in living hard coral. In 2021-22, most reefs surveyed had between 10 and 50 percent.”
Reference: AIMS Report
Editorial Comment: These findings are a good reminder that coral reefs are dynamic systems that do have ups and downs with changing weather and changing conditions on the adjacent coastal regions. Just ask the people who live and work on the reef and coastlines. Deliberately damaging or polluting the reef is wrong, but using the natural cycles of coral loss and regrowth should not be used to scare people about climate change.
We also suggest AIMS apologise to Professor Peter Ridd, a marine geophysicist who was fired by at James Cook University in Queensland after questioning claims made by academics and journalists about the state of the Great Barrier Reef. They should also demand he be re-instated. See our report Reef in No Trouble at All Says Expert here.
Creation Research News 24 August 2022
Were you helped by this item? If so, consider making a donation so we can keep sending out our newsletters and add more items to this archive. Donate here.