This is parallel of course to the bigger challenges.we have to mitigate against climate change, we have to do that plus we can look at other things we can do to try and protect some of the reefs in the short term. As world oceans heat up with warming temperatures, coral reefs suffer bleaching and continue to deteriorate.
A report a year ago from Deloitte Access Economics valued the Great Barrier Reef as an asset worth Aus$56 billion (USD 43 billion), which included its tourism revenues and indirect value for people who have not yet visited the site but know it exists.
Researchers have suggested a number of techniques over the years to save this diverse ecosystem.
A team of scientists produced a “sun shield” that has the objective to reduce coral bleaching, the event which during 2016 and 2017 affected the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia, according to scientific sources.
However given that the reef measures 216,000 square miles, creating a shield that’s big enough to cover all of it would be nearly impossible, but but managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Anna Marsden said that it could be used for high-value or high-risk areas.
This occurs when corals, under heat stress, expel the algae living in their tissues, turning completely white.
An ultra-fine biodegradable film some 50,000 times thinner than a human hair could be enlisted to protect the Great Barrier Reef from environmental degradation, researchers said Tuesday.
The protective film has been tested on seven different coral types and, across the board, results showed that it decreased the intensity of the sunlight on the coral by up to 30pc. Reefs can survive a bleaching but these events halt their growth and reproduction and make them more susceptible for further damage and even death.
“It’s important to note that this is not meant to be a solution that can be applied over the whole 348,000 square kilometers of Great Barrier Reef”.
In early 2016 the Great Barrier Reef suffered the worst bleaching yet, affecting an estimated 93 per cent of coral on its vast northern section and killing more than a fifth.
“The concept needs more work and testing before it gets to that stage, but it’s an exciting development at a time when we need to explore all possible options to ensure we have a Great Barrier Reef for future generations”, she said.
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