[ad_1]
Lightening the clouds to better reflect the sun or covering the sea with a protective film are among the tracks studied by the Australian government to protect the Great Barrier Reef, jewel of the heritage of humanity threatened by climate change.
The huge rcif that is the size of Japan or Italy suffered in 2016 and 2017 two serious bleaching episodes because of rising water temperatures. Specialists estimate that an area of 2,300 kilometers long could have suffered irreparable damage. The government has pledged to fight climate change in general, but also to study shorter-term measures to give some distance to the world's largest coral ensemble.
In January, Canberra appealed to researchers to free up two million Australian dollars to finance innovative ideas to save the site.
It is also threatened by industrial and agricultural activities, as well as by the purple acanthaster , an invasive seaweed, devouring corals. Six projects selected out of a total of 69 proposals will be tested to verify their feasibility, the government announced on Friday. One of them plans to clear up the clouds by injecting sea salt crystals, which increases their reflective abilities.
David Mead, researcher at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, said the proposal had a real potential even if it could appear first wacky sight. "Our team is studying the use of a very fine tip to inject small droplets of seawater at a rate of several billion per second, the water vaporizes and there are still particles of salt floating in the air. If we can inject them into the system, we can increase the rate of solar light that is reflected, "he told the group of ABC media.
Another idea, an ultra-fine biodegradable film containing reflective particles and that would come to cover some of the rcifs to protect them from the heat.
"What's good about this film is that it's just the thickness of a molecule, you can swim through it and it will reform itself," said ABC's Andrew Negri, another scientist with Institute
Among the other selected tracks, the mbadive production of coral larvae through the 3D printing of surfaces to support their growth, or the collection and relocation of larvae.
AFP
[ad_2]
Source link
