The Manmade Clouds That Could Help Save the Great Barrier Reef

Scientists led by Daniel Harrison at Southern Cross University conducted their most successful test of marine cloud brightening technology in February, deploying three vessels nicknamed 'Big Daddy and the Twins' in the Palm Islands off northeastern Australia. The ships pumped seawater through hundreds of tiny nozzles to create dense fog plumes and brighten existing clouds, aiming to shade and cool reef waters to prevent coral bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures.

Harrison's team has been investigating weather modification above the Great Barrier Reef since 2016 and represents the only group conducting open-ocean cloud brightening experiments. The localized geoengineering approach seeks to reduce stress on corals that forces them to expel symbiotic algae during heat waves.

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