Climate research reveals: This is how the Great Barrier Reef was created!

Climate research reveals: This is how the Great Barrier Reef was created!

Greifswald, Deutschland - The Great Barrier Reef, which extends over 2,000 kilometers and reaches almost the size of Germany, is a fascinating and complex ecosystem, the development of which has been decisively influenced by the water temperatures. The latest research shows that about 700,000 years ago the temperatures of the summer months in the region between Australia and this unique reef rose strongly from 26 to 29 degrees Celsius. This central discovery was hit by Gerald Auer and his team at the University of Graz in cooperation with the International Ocean Drilling Program, such as the Kleine Zeitung reported. The so-called Biomarker Tex86, which is based on the remains of microorganisms, acts as a "paleo thermometer" and helps to reconstruct past temperature fluctuations in the sea.

climate archives from the past

These corals, said Professor Thomas Brachert from the University of Leipzig, are characterized by a skeleton that grows year after year, and in which many years of climate history are archived. In addition, geochemical analysis shows that the seasonal temperature fluctuations were significantly lower at the time than today. These small differences in the temperatures demonstrate the vulnerability of the corals, which run the risk of repeal their symbiotic algae even at minimal temperature increases and are exposed to a process called "coral bleach", which has devastating consequences today.

The current results of Auer and Brachert not only illustrate the fragility of these unique ecosystems, but also contribute to improving today's climate models. The scientific community agrees: the teachings from the past are of great importance for the future of oceans and humanity.