A paper recently published in Nature Climate Change speaks of a plan devised by scientists in Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef from damage by installing shade sails on the surface of the ocean above the fragile coral reef. The proposal would mean covering the reefs with cloth thus shading them from sunlight which would reduce the bleaching that is damaging them so intensively. The massive sheets of cloth would be anchored with ropes attached to pontoons and made to float on the surface of the water in a bid to shield the reef from the strong rays of sunlight.

Australian marine biologist Russell Hore said that while the idea had seemed laughable, everything had to be considered to protect the World Heritage-listed reef. “Although it would be impossible to shade all 348,000 square kilometers of the entire reef, an area of small shade cloths will prove that coral bleaching can be tackled by reducing light and temperature”, he said. More…