There is still hope for the Great Barrier Reef: New ‘cloud shine’ project aims to save vulnerable corals

A positive aspect that we have seen that comes from the social distancing measures taken during the Covid-19 outbreak has been the positive impact on the environment. A decrease in pollution levels and thriving wildlife are just two examples that have been observed here in the UAE.

But the damage already done to this planet is widespread. The devastating effects of global warming are particularly clear in Australia, where the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system on Earth and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is highly vulnerable.

In the past few decades, the reef has lost more than half of its coral cover, pollution has caused deadly starfish outbreaks, and has suffered massive coral bleaching, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Now, a small group of scientists hope to save it from the brink of extinction, with an ambitious new “cloud shine” project that they hope can become a futuristic way to protect coral from the effects of global warming.

What is “cloud shine”?

The idea is to cool the waters around the reef by causing the clouds to reflect more sunlight. The researchers used a fan, which was mounted on a boat, to shoot salt crystals into the air.

The project’s lead scientist, Daniel Harrison, of Southern Cross University in Lismore, Australia, told AFP that the results of the initial trial at the initial stage were “really, very encouraging.”

If we continue with the usual commercial-type emission scenarios, then at most this technology can only buy a couple of additional decades

Daniel Harrison, Scientist, Southern Cross University

“All the research is theoretical … so this is an absolute world first to go out and try to take seawater and turn it into these cloud condensation cores.”

While the experiment was successful, Harrison also emphasized that it would take at least four more years of research to test the theory. Then, to have a significant impact, it would be necessary to conduct an experiment that is 10 times larger.

“If it works as well as we hope, then perhaps we could reduce bleaching stress by about 70 percent … potentially almost all mortality,” added Harrison.

However, as the oceans heat up even more, Harrison also said the cloud-clearing technique may be less effective.

“If we continue with the usual business-type emissions scenarios, then at most this technology can buy an additional couple of decades before we see the complete loss of the reef.”

The experiment was a collaboration between the university and the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences. It took place in late March, just as a survey found that the reef had undergone the most extensive coral bleaching on record.

It was the third massive bleaching event in the past five years and raised fears that much of the coral could be permanently damaged.

Is cloud brightness similar to cloud seeding?

Here in the UAE, we use a method called cloud seeding, which artificially encourages a cloud to produce rain.

Is it similar to the brightness of the cloud? Yes and no.

Cloud seeding planes are equipped with special flares that are loaded with salt crystals and fire in convective or warm clouds that have an updraft or updraft.

The updraft absorbs the salt crystals in the cloud and attracts small particles of water that collide, becoming heavier and falling as rain.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates carried out 242 missions, compared to 177 in 2016.

So the method is similar, but the result and the goals are completely different.