Reef health

The Reef Authority releases updates on the health of Reef which includes; sea surface temperatures, rainfall and floods, cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and coral disease.

The Reef snapshot: summer 2023-24 provides a summary of conditions on the Reef, and how these conditions impact coral and Reef health and the actions being taken to help coral health.

When corals are under stress, they expel their algae that live in their tissues which causes them to become transparent, exposing their white skeleton. This is called coral bleaching.

Marine managers and scientists from the Reef Authority, AIMS, and James Cook University developed a framework to describe and categorise coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Reef Authority releases regular updates on the health of Reef. Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest news and updates direct to your inbox. Click the "subscribe" button. 

Our Eye on the Reef program collects valuable information about reef health, marine animals and incidents that is used to understand the health of the Reef and informs how we manage the Reef.

Learn how the Great Barrier Reef fared over the past five years, including sea surface temperature and rainfall, coral bleaching, crown-of-thorn starfish outbreak status and Reef management activity. 

Like all reefs around the world, the Great Barrier Reef is under pressure, particularly from climate change, coastal development, land-based run-off and illegal fishing.

Discover a range of fact sheets and information, covering topics like coral bleaching, assessing and monitoring Reef health, coral cover and more.

Source the latest Great Barrier Reef fast facts, handy links, and story ideas from the Reef Authority Newsroom.