Washington: In the last decade, the heat and the temperature of the earth are constantly increasing. Now the heat of the sun not only troubles, but also burns and scorches. This summer, you must have seen army soldiers cooking rotis on the bonnet of the car in Rajasthan and also seen them baking papad on the sandy ground here. This time the maximum temperature in Rajasthan has crossed 55 degrees. In other countries of the world too, the temperature is rising at the same pace. According to a report, the sea temperature in the ‘Great Barrier Reef’ has reached its highest level in 400 years. The water here has been the hottest in the last 400 years. Is this a sign of the destruction of the earth?
Researchers have warned in a study that if the continuous increase in the temperature of the earth is not stopped, then the coral reefs will cease to exist. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems, has suffered massive damage between 2016 and 2024. This has happened due to the increase in sea temperature. According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an aerial survey of more than 300 coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef off the north-east coast of Australia earlier this year showed damage in two-thirds.
The study started in 1618
Researchers from the University of Melbourne and other universities in Australia said in a paper published on Wednesday in the journal ‘Nature’ that they studied sea temperature data from 1618 to 1995 using samples of coral or coral reefs from the Coral Sea. This period was compared with the sea temperature in recent times. The researchers also included sea temperatures from 1900 to 2024 in the study.
“These coral reefs are at risk and if we don’t get off our current path, our generation may be witnessing the destruction of one of these great natural wonders,” said Benjamin Henley, lead author of the study and a lecturer in sustainable urban management at the University of Melbourne. The study authors said that even if global temperature rise is kept within the Paris Agreement targets, 70 to 90 percent of corals worldwide could be at risk.
