Great Barrier Reef in Australia faces third mass coral bleaching event in five years

New Delhi : Australia's Great Barrier Reef is facing the heat of rising ocean temperatures as it registered the third mass bleaching event in a matter of five years, said authorities on Thursday.

In terms of tourism revenue, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia worth an estimated USD 4 billion in a year, but it looks like it is going to get impacted harshly as the rising temperatures are damaging it enough that it may lose its coveted world heritage status in coming days.

The northern side of the Great Barrier Reef has suffered two successive years of severe bleaching in 2016 and 2017, prompting the government agency overlooking the health of the reef to downgrade it to very poor.

Even, some untouched areas in the Reef have also been found to be a victim of bleaching, said the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority which is holding aerial surveys on the giant organism.

The damage had been less extensive around popular tourist destinations like Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands, the agency added.

Several environmentalists have slammed Australia for not limiting the expansion of its coal industries in a bid to control climate change.