Environmental Scientists Tried Altering Clouds to Save the Great Barrier Reef

As it left Townsville, Australia, in March, the converted ferry boat had a mobile scientific laboratory and a big fan on its deck in place of its usual load of automobiles and vans. The researchers anchored in a coral lagoon 100 kilometers offshore and then turned on the cone-shaped turbine, which blasted saltwater over the rear of the boat in a mist. What occurred next was a pleasant surprise: the plume rose into the sky after momentarily floating over the ocean's surface.

Brightening the Clouds

Because its use would be limited in geography and time, Harrison emphasizes that the cloud-brightening initiative is about local adaptation to climate change, not global geoengineering. It's also part of Australia's broader Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), which began last year with a budget of Aus$300 million (US$220 million) to research and develop strategies and technology to restore the country's reefs. Many suggestions, ranging from cloud brightening to the breeding of heat-tolerant corals, would be firsts for humans in the natural reef system.

According to ecological modeling, a large-scale intervention incorporating several techniques, including a fleet of mist machines, may extend the reef's life as governments strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, according to Cedric Robillot, executive director of the RRAP, today's objective is to figure out what is feasible in the actual world.

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