Clouds may help save reef

SYDNEY: To slow the speed at which high temperatures and warm waters bleach the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists are spraying droplets of ocean water into the sky to form clouds to protect the environmental treasure.

Researchers working on the so-called Cloud Brightening project are using a turbine to spray microscopic sea particles to thicken existing clouds and reduce sunlight on the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem.

The droplets evaporate leaving only tiny salt crystals that float into the atmosphere allowing water vapour to condense around them, forming clouds, according to Daniel Harrison, a senior lecturer at Southern Cross University, who runs the project.