Rangers inspect the Coral Gardens section of the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Elliot Island, 80km north-east of Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia. Picture: REUTERSAn ambitious “cloud brightening” experiment has been carried out over Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in an early-stage trial that scientists hope could become a way to protect coral from global warming in the future.
Harrison stressed that despite the success of the experiment, at least four years of further research would be needed to prove the theory. Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures — causing them to expel algae, which drains them of their vibrant colours. It was the third mass bleaching event in the past five years, raising fears that much of the reef’s coral could be permanently damaged.
There's 'manmade climate change' and there's manmade weather change........