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The Australian Government seeks to repair the Great Barrier Reef, a world heritage jewel is threatened by climate change. Increasing the reflective capacity of clouds or covering the sea with a protective film are among their options.
The immense reef that is the size of Japan or Italy suffered in 2016 and 2017 two serious episodes of bleaching. increases the temperature of the water. Experts estimate that an area of 2300 kilometers long could have suffered irreparable damage.
The Australian government promised to fight climate change in general but also to study shorter-term measures to give a little respite to the world's largest coral ensemble. In this context, Canberra launched a call for researchers in January, unblocking two million Australian dollars to fund innovative ideas to save the site. It is also threatened by industrial and agricultural activities, as well as by the purple acanthaster, an invasive coral-eating starfish.
Six projects out of 69
Six projects selected of a total of 69 proposals will be tested to verify their feasibility, announced the government Friday. One of them plans to thin the clouds by injecting sea salt crystals, which increases their reflective abilities. David Mead, a researcher at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, said the proposal had real potential even though it might seem far-fetched.
"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 that will float in the air. If we can inject them into the system, we can increase the rate of sunlight that is reflected, "he told the media group ABC .
Biodegradable Film ]
Another idea is an ultra-thin biodegradable film containing reflective particles that would cover some of the reefs to protect them from 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 Andrew Negri , another scientist of the Institute.
Among 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. (ats / nxp)
Created: 22.07.2018, 00:42
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