The Great Barrier Reef has suffered another mass bleaching event, its fourth since 2016.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority issued the update on Friday afternoon after completing aerial surveys.
Helicopters and small planes were used to assess a sample of 750 reefs in the marine park, where they discovered a large amount of coral that had turned white and appeared brittle.
Scientists say bleached coral is stressed but still alive. If conditions return to normal, bleached corals can recover.
It's the fourth bleaching event since 2016, despite cooler La Niña conditions this summer.
Dr Neal Cantin, a research scientist involved with the survey said the bleaching was largely aligned with increased heat stress.
He said the bleaching across the area ranged from minor to severe and was typically worse to the northern and central parts of the national park.
"When we categorise a reef as severely bleached from aerial surveys, what we are seeing is more than half of the living coral cover that we can see form the air is severely bleached completely white," Cantin said.
A dive team is set to assess the damage, with results of long-term monitoring due back later this year and into early 2023.
The declaration comes just as a UN monitoring mission arrived in Queensland to assess whether the reef should be added to the list of World Heritage In Danger.
Head of cceans for World Wildlife Fund Australia, Richard Leck, said the timing was extraordinary.
“The world heritage experts should be given the opportunity to see first-hand what climate change is doing to the Great Barrier Reef."
“The images of colourless coral are also a heartbreaking reminder that Australia could be doing so much more on climate mitigation to protect the reef.”
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