Great Barrier Reef coral cover rebounds to 35.1% despite bleaching

A
va iety
of
co als
fo m
a
outc op
o
Fly
Reef,
pa t
of
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
ea
Cai s,
Quee sla d,
Aust alia.
C edits
–
WIkimedia
Commo s

The
last
two
yea s
have
bee
a
tale
of
two
ext emes
fo
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef.”
I
2025,
the
o the
egio
of
the
eef
expe ie ced
its
biggest
a ual
decli e
i
co al
cove
o
eco d,
d oppi g
to
just
30%
afte
a
catast ophic
mass
bleachi g
eve t.
It
was
a
sobe i g
milesto e
i
a
lo g
histo y
of
climate-i duced
dis uptio s.
But
just
o e
yea
late ,
f esh
su veys
have
evealed
a
su p isi g
twist.
Although
a othe
bleachi g
eve t
hit
i
ea ly
2026,
the
amou t
of
co al
i
the
o th
has
ise
to
35.1
pe
ce t.The
fi di gs,
published
i
August
2026
by
the
Aust alia
I stitute
of
Ma i e
Scie ce
(AIMS),
p ese t
a
a e
glimme
of
hope
fo
the
wo ld’s
la gest
eef
of
co al
system.
They
show
that
eve
i
the
face
of
epeated
heat
st ess,
the
eef
etai s
a
capacity
to
ecove ,
if
give
the
ight
co ditio s.A
yea
of
eco d
fallsI
the
summe
of
2024–25,
sea
tempe atu es
we e
above
ave age
ac oss
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef,
esulti g
i
widesp ead
co al
bleachi g.
Whe
AIMS
completed
its
a ual
su veys
i
the
middle
of
2025,
the
esults
we e
sta k.
Ha d
co al
cove
decli ed
sig ifica tly
ac oss
all
th ee
eef
egio s,
with
the
g eatest
a ual
decli es
si ce
mo ito i g
bega
i
1986
i
the
o the
a d
ce t al
egio s.

I
the
o the
egio ,
which
exte ds
f om
Cape
Yo k
to
Cooktow ,
co al
cove
decli ed
by
a ou d
a
qua te
to
30%.
The
ce t al
egio ,
f om
Cooktow
to
P ose pi e,
saw
a
14%
decli e.
The
southe
egio ,
f om
P ose pi e
to
Gladsto e,
expe ie ced
a
ea ly
30%
d op,
the
la gest
a ual
decli e
eve
eco ded
the e.The
losses
we e
due
to
p olo ged
heat
st ess,
which
causes
co als
to
expel
the
symbiotic
algae
that
give
them
thei
colo
a d
much
of
thei
e e gy.
Co als
do ’t
have
these
algae,
they
tu
white,
called
bleachi g.
Bleached
co als
ca
die
if
the
st ess
is
seve e
o
p olo ged.

Rep ese tative
image

The
mo soo
a ives
at
a
oppo tu e
mome tI
ea ly
2026
scie tists
detected
sig s
of
egio al
co al
bleachi g
agai
i
the
o the
a d
ce t al
egio s.
Sea
tempe atu es
we e
above
ave age
a d
the
outlook
bleak.
But
the
the
u fo esee
occu ed.
A
late-summe
mo soo
a ived.The
mo soo
b ought
widesp ead
cloud
cove
a d
ai y
weathe ,
helpi g
to
cool
the
eef
at
just
the
ight
time.
The
educed
heat
st ess
likely
limited
the
seve ity
a d
exte t
of
bleachi g
du i g
the
2025–26
summe ,
givi g
co als
a
cha ce
to
ecove .“A
late-summe
mo soo
i
2026
b ought
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
a
ep ieve
f om
u foldi g
co al
bleachi g,
aidi g
its
i itial
ecove y
f om
ece t
climate-i duced
distu ba ces,”
acco di g
to
AIMS.Sig s
of
ecove yThe
latest
AIMS
su veys,
co ducted
betwee
August
2025
a d
Ju e
2026
o
121
eefs,
fou d
that
co al
cove
had
i c eased
slightly
o
emai ed
stable
ac oss
all
th ee
egio s
of
the
eef.
I
the
o the
egio ,
co al
cove
ose
f om
30%
to
35.1%,
a
16.7%
i c ease
elative
to
2025
levels.
I
the
ce t al
egio ,
it
i c eased
f om
28.6%
to
31.6%,
a
10.2%
ise.
The
southe
egio
saw
a
slight
dec ease,
f om
26.9%
to
26.4%,
but
this
was
withi
the
ma gi
of
e o .Ove all,
co al
cove
emai ed
u cha ged
o
most
eefs
(56%
of
eefs),
mo e
tha
a
qua te
saw
i c eased
cove
(28%),
a d
decli es
(16%)
we e
less
commo .
Co al
cove
levels
i
the
o the
a d
ce t al
egio s
a e
ow
above
the
lo g-te m
ave age,
sig alli g
the
sta t
of
ecove y
f om
ece t
widesp ead
co al
loss.A
f agile
ebou dWhile
the
i c ease
i
co al
cove
is
e cou agi g,
scie tists
cautio
that
the
eef’s
ecove y
is
f agile.
The
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
has
expe ie ced
five
mass
bleachi g
eve ts
si ce
2016,
a d
the
f eque cy
of
ma i e
heatwaves
co ti ues
to
i c ease
with
global
wa mi g.“The
Reef
expe ie ced
a
summe
of
above-ave age
sea
tempe atu es
o ce
agai ,
but
the
late-summe
mo soo
activity,
which
i c eased
cloud
cove
a d
educed
sea
tempe atu es,
likely
limited
the
seve ity
a d
exte t
of
bleachi g
i
the
2025–26
summe ,”
said
a
AIMS
spokespe so .The
mo soo ’s
cooli g
effect
was
a
lucky
b eak,
but
it
is
ot
a
lo g-te m
solutio .
Without
sig ifica t
eductio s
i
g ee house
gas
emissio s,
the
eef
will
co ti ue
to
face
i c easi g
heat
st ess,
bleachi g
a d
mo tality.What
the
futu e
holdsThe
2025–26
su vey
esults
show
that
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
still
has
esilie ce.
Co als
ca
ecove
f om
bleachi g
if
co ditio s
imp ove,
a d
the
eef’s
o the
a d
ce t al
egio s
a e
ow
o
a
path
to
ecove y.
But
this
esilie ce
is
bei g
tested
like
eve
befo e.Climate
cha ge
emai s
the
g eatest
th eat
to
the
eef’s
lo g-te m
su vival.
The
Aust alia
Gove me t
is
cu e tly
decidi g
its
2035
emissio s
eductio
ta gets,
a d
scie tists
say
a
90%
cut
is
c itical
to
p otect
the
eef.
If
we
do
ot
act
u ge tly,
bleachi g
eve ts
will
co ti ue
to
i c ease
i
both
f eque cy
a d
seve ity,
beyo d
the
eef’s
ability
to
ecove .A
call
to
a msThe
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
is
ot
just
a y
atu al
wo de .
It
is
a
vital
ecosystem,
suppo ti g
thousa ds
of
species,
p ovidi g
livelihoods
fo
coastal
commu ities
a d
addi g
billio s
of
dolla s
to
the
Aust alia
eco omy.
Its
health
is
a
ba omete
of
the
health
of
the
Ea th.The
ece t
i c ease
i
co al
cove
is
a
emi de
that
the
eef
ca
come
back
—
but
o ly
if
we
let
it.
That
mea s
cutti g
emissio s,
p otecti g
wate
quality
a d
suppo ti g
co se vatio
wo k.
It
mea s
u de sta di g
the
futu e
of
the
eef
is
i
ou
ha ds.The
su
sets
ove
the
co al
ga de s
of
the
G eat
Ba ie
Reef,
a d
the
message
is
clea .
The e
is
hope,
but
time
is
u i g
out.
Go to Sou ce