At least 35% of corals in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been destroyed by bleaching¹, Australian scientists say.

澳大利亚科学家表示，澳洲大堡礁北部和中部的珊瑚至少有35%已被珊瑚白化现象摧毁。

The experts from James Cook University (JCU) say it is the most extreme case of mass bleaching they have ever measured at the World Heritage Site.

詹姆斯库克大学的专家表示，这是他们在大堡礁测量中发现的最严重的白化现象。大堡礁已被列入世界自然遗产名录。

Bleaching occurs when warmer water causes coral to weaken and lose the colourful algae² that provide oxygen and nutrients³.

海水温度变暖，导致为珊瑚提供氧气和营养来源的共生藻死亡或离开，仅剩下透明的珊瑚虫的现象，就是珊瑚白化。

It has been linked to climate change.

珊瑚白化与气候变化有关。

"We found on average, that 35% of the corals are now dead or dying on 84 reefs that we surveyed along the northern and central sections of the Great Barrier Reef, between Townsville and Papua New Guinea," Professor Terry Hughes, the head of the ARC Centre of Excellence⁴ for Coral Reef Studies at JCU, said in a statement.

詹姆斯库克大学ARC珊瑚卓越研究中心主任休斯表示，“根据我们对汤斯维尔和巴布亚新几内亚之间的大堡礁北部和中部84种珊瑚的调查，我们发现，平均来讲，35%的珊瑚现在已死亡或正在死亡”。

"This year is the third time in 18 years that the Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass bleaching due to global warming, and the current event is much more extreme than we’ve measured before.”

“由于全球变暖，这已是大堡礁在过去18年来第三次出现大规模的珊瑚白化现象。目前的状况比我们以前所了解的更为极端”。

"We’re rapidly running out of time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions⁵."

“减少温室气体排放，我们所剩时间已经不多了。”

The scientists warned that the recovery of coral cover is expected to take a decade or longer, but it would take much longer to regain⁶ the largest and oldest corals that have died.

科学家警告说，大堡礁珊瑚恢复生机大概需要十年或更长时间。不过，对那些已死亡的最大和最老的珊瑚群来说，恢复生机要花费更长的时间。

Their study was released after months of intensive aerial and underwater surveys.

科学家进行了航拍及水下调查，长达数月的集中研究后，他们发布了这项结果。

Mass coral bleaching

大规模珊瑚白化现象

Coral bleaching is caused by rising water temperatures resulting from two natural warm currents

珊瑚白化是由于两个自然暖洋流汇聚导致水温升高而发生。

It is exacerbated⁷ by man-made climate change, as the oceans are absorbing about 93% of the increase in the Earth’s heat.

人类导致的气候变化令珊瑚白化情况更加糟糕，因为地球增加的热量的93%被大洋所吸收。

Bleaching happens when corals under stress drive out the algae known as zooxanthellae that give them colour

海水变暖令珊瑚感到压力，导致为珊瑚提供色素的藻类被排走，从而使珊瑚白化。

If normal conditions return, the corals can recover, but it can take decades, and if the stress continues the corals can die

如果正常环境得以恢复，珊瑚会恢复生长，但这得花上数十年时间；如果珊瑚生长的压力持续，珊瑚就会死亡。

The current worldwide bleaching episode is predicted to be the worst on record.

据预测，目前的大堡礁珊瑚白化现象将是有史以来最糟糕的。