Australia's Great Barrier Reef has almost fully recovered from the worst coral bleaching ever known in recent history, authorities said.
A three-minute video clip recorded on September 2 by Quicksilver Group, a private tour operator specialising in Great Barrier Reef tours in Queensland showed several international and local tourists attesting to that fact, Xinhua news agency reported.
Coral Reefs Fall Victim to Ocean Warming
Global warming and a combination of multiple local stressors cause the ongoing global bleaching event that affected 90 percent of the Great Barrier Reef.
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‘When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching.’
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Quicksilver Group's environment and compliance manager and marine biologist Doug Baird said coral on Agincourt Reef number three off Port Douglas at the Great Barrier Reef was "well in the process recovery" from a bleaching event six months ago.
"It was a very robust reef going into the bleaching event. It was healthy, the water quality was good out here. In fact, it was the best-managed reef system anywhere on the planet. This builds up the resilience of the reef which gives it that opportunity under these natural events to actually cope and recover," Baird said.
![Drugs from Corals]( "Drugs from Corals")
The uses of corals from coral reefs extends to the field of medicine. Molecules obtained from corals are useful in cancer, viral infections etc.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority tourism and stewardship director Roger Beeden said he was aware of reports Agincourt Reef coral was recovering.
He said in-water surveys to be conducted in October would enable scientists to closely monitor the recovery and survival rates across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
"The extent of recovery for heat-affected corals will vary across the marine park, and will largely depend on how stressed the corals were locally," Beeden said.
"On the most resilient reefs and in ideal circumstances, bleached corals can regain their colour within a period of weeks to months once water temperatures return to normal."
"However, corals experiencing chronic poor water quality or other stressors are unlikely to recover within these short time frames and recovery will be impeded," he added.
Source: IANS
Drugs from Corals
The uses of corals from coral reefs extends to the field of medicine. Molecules obtained from corals are useful in cancer, viral infections etc.
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Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority tourism and stewardship director Roger Beeden said he was aware of reports Agincourt Reef coral was recovering.
He said in-water surveys to be conducted in October would enable scientists to closely monitor the recovery and survival rates across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
"The extent of recovery for heat-affected corals will vary across the marine park, and will largely depend on how stressed the corals were locally," Beeden said.
"On the most resilient reefs and in ideal circumstances, bleached corals can regain their colour within a period of weeks to months once water temperatures return to normal."
"However, corals experiencing chronic poor water quality or other stressors are unlikely to recover within these short time frames and recovery will be impeded," he added.
Source: IANS
Flowers And What They Mean To Us
Flowers can be used as infusion for treating digestive disorders or they can be used as poultice for skin problems, and as pastes or decoctions for wounds and injuries.
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