The annihilation of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef has ended up being the biggest concerns for the ecologists across the world. While earlier, excessive bleaching is believed to be the culprit behind the damage of coral reefs, a new study has come up with a surprising revelation. The research conducted by a team of scientists at Griffith University in Australia has claimed that a ‘Weed-like’ algae are the real cause behind the continual obliteration of coral reefs of Great Barrier Reefs.
In the recently published research report, the Australian analysts have revealed that, because of intensifying levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, weed-like algae is killing the coral reefs of the iconic heritage. The researchers, in their study paper also showed that if the emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) will go on at this pace, then the coral reef will radically suffer by 2050 and might be died off by 2100. It means, if the world fails to cap the emission of CO2, by 2015 the coral building reefs will be warded off, and by 2100, the entire aquatic creation will be completely wiped out from the world.
The researchers from the Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, also have revealed that the “weed-like” algae are killing corals in the Great Barrier Reef due to the emissions of high-level carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As per the warning was given by the analysts in the study paper, if the rate of carbon dioxide production prolongs at the same speed it is now, the major parts of the reef-building corals will significantly suffer by 2050, and may get destroyed completely by 2100.
As per the highlights made by the researchers in the study paper, the intensifying level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is having unfavorable up shots on the activities of seaweed, and hence they are killing the reefs gradually. Earlier, the death of the coral reefs was believed to be triggered by bleaching, which in the new study has proven to be a mere hoodwink. However, up to now, scientists are unable to give details about the process – how seaweeds are destroying the reefs. The researchers also warned that the issue is colossal and the mere removal of seaweeds from Great Barrier Reef will not decipher the problem.
The study was published in the scientific journal ‘Scientific Reports.’