Thin ‘sun shield’ could protect Great Barrier Reef
AN ULTRA-FINE biodegradable film some 50,000 times thinner than a human hair could be enlisted to protect the Great Barrier Reef from degradation, researchers said on Tuesday.
The World Heritage-listed site is reeling from significant coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures linked to climate change. Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Biology have been buoyed by test results of a floating “sun shield” made of calcium carbonate that has been shown to protect the reef from the effects of bleaching.
“It’s designed to sit on the surface of the water above the corals, rather than directly on the corals, to provide an effective barrier against the sun,” Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said.
The trials on seven different coral types found the protective layer decreased bleaching of most species, cutting off sunlight by up to 30 percent.
“It [the project] created an opportunity to test the idea that by reducing the amount of sunlight from reaching the corals in the first place, we can prevent them from becoming stressed which leads to bleaching,” Marsden said.
Researchers from a breadth of disciplines contributed to the project, headed by the scientist who developed the country’s polymer bank notes.
Marsden said it was impractical to suggest that the “sun shield” – made from the same material found in coral skeletons – could cover the entire 348,000 square-kilometre reef.
“But it could be deployed on a smaller, local level to protect high-value or high-risk areas of reef,” she added.
With its heavy use of coal-fired power and relatively small population, Australia is one of the world’s worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters, with advocates urging Canberra to do more to protect the environment.