A new tool has been developed which provides daily updates of the risk of ‘coral bleaching’ in the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs in the Coral Sea.

Developed by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), ReefTemp is the newest of a suite of tools using satellite observations to detect environmental impacts within a changing climate.

CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Research Flagship scientist, Dr Peter Turner, says the tool provides the highest resolution (2km x 2km) assessments of bleaching risk of any product in the world.

“With ReefTemp, bleaching risk for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and other reefs in the Coral Sea can be monitored at the scale of an individual reef from any computer with an Internet connection," he says.

“ReefTemp is a great example of an environmental management tool developed using the results of long-term research programs, modern computer technology and strong collaboration between agencies. For example, Bureau of Meteorology has worked closely with the GBRMPA on this project,” Dr Turner says.

“Combined, these products enable the GBRMPA, scientists, tourism operators, students and individuals to better monitor and assess the extent and severity of coral bleaching risk in the Marine Park.”

The GBRMPA Climate Change Response Programme’s Jeff Maynard says mass coral bleaching events, caused by higher than normal sea temperatures, are widely considered to be one of the greatest threats to the GBR.

“Building on pioneering work in this area by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ReefTemp is the first sea-surface temperature monitoring and mapping product in Australia tailored specifically to record coral bleaching,” Mr Maynard says.

He says the project will develop a product that complements ReefTemp’s daily updates by assessing whether temperatures will exceed bleaching tolerances one to three months in advance.

"Combined, these products enable the GBRMPA, scientists, tourism operators, students and individuals to better monitor and assess the extent and severity of coral bleaching risk in the Marine Park. “It also enables the Marine Park Authority to fine-tune research and monitoring trips during the bleaching season and better understand the relationship between thermal stress and bleaching.”

Mr Maynard says ReefTemp updates show that current regional sea-surface temperatures continue to be below long-term February averages while the POAMA forecasts of sea-surface temperature suggest this trend will continue over coming weeks.

“So far this summer, there have been some observations of minor, isolated bleaching on some reef flats but the risk of widespread coral bleaching during the 2007 summer in the GBR region is currently ‘low’.