Record coral kill-off on Great Barrier Reef
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By Martin Parry (AFP) 5 hours ago in Environment
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A mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef this year killed more corals than ever before, scientists said Tuesday, sounding the alarm over the delicate ecosystem.
The 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) long reef -- the world's biggest -- suffered its most severe bleaching in recorded history, due to warming sea temperatures during March and April, with the northern third bearing the brunt.
Follow-up underwater surveys, backing earlier aerial studies, have revealed a 700-kilometre stretch of reefs in the less-accessible north lost two-thirds of shallow-water corals in the past eight to nine months.
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