Australia's Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its corals since 1995 due to warmer seas driven by climate change, a study has found.

 

研究发现，自1995年以来，由于气候变化导致海洋变暖，澳大利亚大堡礁的珊瑚损失了一半以上。

 

Scientists found all types of corals had suffered a decline across the world's largest reef system.

 

The steepest falls came after mass bleaching¹ events in 2016 and 2017. More mass bleaching occurred this year.

 

"There is no time to lose - we must sharply decrease greenhouse gas emissions² ASAP," the researchers said.

 

The study, published in the journal Proceedings³ of the Royal Society B, was conducted by marine⁴ scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence⁵ for Coral Reef Studies in Queensland.

 

Scientists assessed the health and size of coral colonies across the reef from 1995 to 2017.

 

They found populations had dropped by more than 50% in all coral sizes and species, but especially in branching and table-shaped corals.

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