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You may well have heard that Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef is dying as warmer and more acidic waters bleach the system's vibrant coral reefs. In fact, a heat wave killed nearly a third of the system's corals in 2016.

Now, scientists writing in the journal Nature Geoscience have discovered the reef has bounced back from near-extinction five times in the last 30,000 years. The current stresses, however, are probably far more intense than those felt in the past.

"I have grave concerns about the ability of the reef in its current form to survive the pace of change caused by the many current stresses and those projected into the near future," study author Jody Webster from the University of Sydney said in a statement.

The international team looked beyond the boundaries of today's reef to find places where ancient coral may have grown. Then, they drilled down into the seafloor, collecting 30,000 years' worth of fossilized coral and sediments. These rock cores revealed the coral's dramatic past.

As sea levels rose and fell, the coral reef migrated. Low sea levels 30,000 and 22,000 years ago killed coral by air exposure. The remaining reef shifted seaward and eventually bounced back.

Rising sea levels-like those we see today-killed off the coral twice between 13,000 and 17,000 years ago. This time, coral inched close to land to survive. The reef system, the scientists think, migrated up to 60 inches a year in the face of a changing environment. The last of the five great die-offs occurred about 10,000 years ago, and was likely caused by a huge influx of sediment, a reduction in water quality and a general sea level rise. The modern reef emerged some 9,000 years ago.

Although these historical challenges are similar to those facing the system today, Mark Eakin, a coral reef ecologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) who was not involved in the study, told "Don't expect reefs to be able to bounce back quickly."

The rate of sea surface temperature and water acidification change was probably slower in the past, Webster told the AFP. The reef, he said, is now probably battling changes faster than it has seen before.

Coral reefs-living nurseries for other marine life-become far more vulnerable to death and disease when bleached. Australia's Great Barrier Reef, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, as well as sharks, marine turtles, rays and marine mammals like the dugong, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The reef system may be due for another die-off sometime in the next few thousand years "if it follows its past geological pattern," Webster told AFP. "But whether human-induced climate change will hasten that death remains to be seen."

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Australia's Great Barrier Reef has bounced back from near extinction five times in the last 30,000 years

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You may well have heard that Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef is dying as warmer and more acidic waters bleach the system's vibrant coral reefs. In fact, a heat wave killed nearly a third of the system's corals in 2016.

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One way to protect the Great Barrier Reef is to conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will eventually make it back to the ocean. If you go diving, don't touch the coral! You can also volunteer at beaches to keep trash from making its way to the reef. Educating yourself is also important so you are aware of what is happening and you can inform others too.

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Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% collapse in new coral after bleaching events

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Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coral

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-It is the largest coral reef system in the world
-It is the world's largest living system
-It is made up of around 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands
-The Great Barrier Reef is around 1616 miles long
-Over 1500 species call the Great Barrier Reef their home
-This is where Finding Nemo was filmed!

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CURRENT STATE: The number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017.Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality.The results, published in Nature, show not only a dramatic reduction in new coral recruitment compared with historic levels, but also a change in the types of coral species produced.

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CURRENT STATE: The number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017.Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality.The results, published in Nature, show not only a dramatic reduction in new coral recruitment compared with historic levels, but also a change in the types of coral species produced.

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BACKGROUND: The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space. The 2,300km-long ecosystem comprises thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of over 600 types of hard and soft coral. It's home to countless species of colourful fish, molluscs and starfish, plus turtles, dolphins and sharks.

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BACKGROUND: The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space. The 2,300km-long ecosystem comprises thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of over 600 types of hard and soft coral. It's home to countless species of colourful fish, molluscs and starfish, plus turtles, dolphins and sharks.