Images related to Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef

Warm Seas Lead to Extensive Coral Bleaching
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Warm Seas Lead to Extensive Coral Bleaching

Two years of record global temperatures and a potent El Niño have led to extensive damage to coral reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef.

Published May 19, 2016

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Stress on the Great Barrier Reef
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Stress on the Great Barrier Reef

In February 2017, the Great Barrier Reef continued to be exposed to warm ocean water—the main stressor on this coral system and the reason for its bleaching.

Published Mar 16, 2017

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Great Barrier Reef near Whitsunday Islands
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Great Barrier Reef near Whitsunday Islands

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system on Earth, with more than 3,000 separate reefs and coral cays. It is also one of the most complex natural ecosystems.

Published May 31, 2016

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Currents Collide and Coastal Waters Bloom off Patagonia
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Currents Collide and Coastal Waters Bloom off Patagonia

The convergence of warm and cold currents off the coast of Patagonia helps fuel large blooms of phytoplankton. This pair of images shows temperature and chlorophyll in November 2009.

Published Jan 12, 2010

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Phytoplankton Enlivens Swaths of Barren Ocean
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Phytoplankton Enlivens Swaths of Barren Ocean

Even dozens of kilometers away, microscopic creatures from these reefs can breathe life into nearby waters.

Published Dec 20, 2016

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A World of Chlorophyll
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A World of Chlorophyll

Published Jul 11, 2006

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Cold-water Upwelling in the Gulf of Tehuantepec
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Cold-water Upwelling in the Gulf of Tehuantepec

In the winter, strong winds drive surface waters away from the shore, and cold water from the deep ocean wells up to replace it.

Published Jan 8, 2005

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Phytoplankton Bloom in the Great Barrier Reef
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Phytoplankton Bloom in the Great Barrier Reef

“The Sea in many places is here cover’d with a kind of a brown scum,” observed Captain Cook of the Coral Sea near Australia. Aqua MODIS made the same observation on August 9, 2011.

Published Aug 20, 2011

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