The worst of the coral die-off was in the north of the 2,600-kilometre-long reef, according to the study released by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. The area covers 700 square kilometres in the north zone of the reef off Cooktown where 67 per cent of the coral is now dead. "Most of the losses in 2016 have occurred in the northern, most-pristine part of the Great Barrier Reef," Professor Terry Hughes, director of the Coral Centre, said in a statement. It can take seven to eight months before corals regain their colour after a bleaching event, otherwise they die. In areas where coral has died on a large scale it can take ten to fifteen years for new corals to grow.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 29, 2016 01:51 UTC