Groundbreaking Coral Bleaching Monitoring Tool

ReefTemp (inset)enables marine managers to nonitor coral bleaching risk

Monitoring coral bleaching risk is now easier thanks to advanced technology that monitors changes in sea surface temperature in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

ReefTemp is the first sea-surface temperature monitoring and mapping tool in Australia developed specifically for monitoring bleaching risk.

Jeff Maynard from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Climate Change Response Programme said the online tool revolutionised coral bleaching monitoring.

"ReefTemp uses satellites in space to calculate sea surface temperatures," he said.

"The information is automatically projected on to maps of the Great Barrier Reef, enabling scientists to see a colour-coded visual representation of the ocean's temperature."

"The system helps us see if there are any areas in the Reef experiencing above-average temperatures over a long period of time."

"Coral bleaching occurs when there is a breakdown of the relationship between corals and their zooxantheallae, microscopic plants that live within coral tissue."

Zooxantheallae assist the coral by providing them with food for growth and their normal healthy colour. When corals are stressed, they expel their zooxanthellae.

As a result, they may lose their colour and their ability to gain energy is reduced, resulting in their white coral skeleton becoming visible through their clear tissue.

"ReefTemp shows us where we can undertake fieldwork to better understand how bleaching effects the Reef," Jeff said.

"We use this information to help us better manage the Reef so it can cope with a changing climate - improving water quality and protecting plants, animals and habitats builds the Reef's resilience."

The online maps provide high-resolution (2km x 2km) visual information on sea surface temperature, enabling monitoring of bleaching risk for individual reefs.

This summer, ReefTemp enabled scientists to see coral bleaching was unlikely because of sustained, lower-than-average sea temperatures.

Anyone with an internet connection can view the maps, as well as long-term information that is recoreed on sea surface temperature.

ReefTemp was developed by the GBRMPA, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and the Bureau of Meteorology.

It builds on work done by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For more information: www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info-services/science/climate_change.