Research, explained.

Dr Daniel Harrison is testing whether clouds can help cool the ocean. His team is exploring ways to make clouds brighter, so they reflect more sunlight away from reef systems.

This work has moved reef cooling research from computer modelling into real-world ocean testing off the Queensland coast, a major step in understanding whether marine cloud brightening could help reduce heat stress on reefs.

If the Great Barrier Reef were an employer, it would be Australia’s fifth largest.

Across the Indo-Pacific, healthy reefs also support marine ecosystems, tourism industries and coastal communities facing increasing pressure from ocean warming, highlighting the growing need for new approaches to reef resilience.