The Reef Authority has started its summer Reef health response with the annual summer workshop.
The recent workshop brought together marine managers, scientists, Traditional Owners, the tourism sector and Reef industry representatives to understand the likely outlook for summer, a time when the Great Barrier Reef is most vulnerable to impacts such as cyclones, flooding and high sea surface temperatures.
Reef Authority Acting Chief Scientist, Dr Jessica Stella said the workshop included expert briefings on the summer ahead, including presentations from the Bureau of Meteorology and the USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range forecast for the 2024−25 summer is for high sea surface temperatures, an average number of cyclones (four), and high rainfall for far northern Queensland.
“Many weather influences can interact and change through summer, so it’s difficult to predict in advance how the season will play out for the Reef,” Dr Stella said.
“We particularly focus on the potential for marine heatwaves, floods, cyclones and storms, as well as crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, coral disease and coral bleaching, and how the Reef Authority and our partners can best respond to these and support the Reef.
“We take a collaborative approach to managing the Reef, sharing research, knowledge and ideas, and the annual workshop and summer response is a great example of this.”
With 2024−25 summer officially underway, Dr Stella said the focus was on closely monitoring conditions throughout the warmer summer months, while maintaining the year-round management focus on strengthening the Reef's resilience.
“As the climate continues to change, we can expect impacts to the Reef to escalate over time. This means it’s critical that we know what is happening out in the water so can target our management to areas in need of support,” Dr Stella said.
“Key management activities, including the recently enhanced Crown-of-thorns starfish Control Program and the Reef Joint Field Management program, operate across the vast Reef space, not just over summer, but year-round.
“The focus of this work is building and supporting Reef resilience, which also includes enforcing zoning rules with increased compliance patrols across the Marine Park to make sure people are doing the right thing.
“We all need to play our part in protecting the Reef and want people to enjoy their visit in a responsible way that will help protect our beautiful Reef this summer and into the future.”
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Contact: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Media Hotline: (07) 4750 0846 | media@gbrmpa.gov.au