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The Development of a Floating Mono-Particle “Sun Shield” to Protect Corals from High Irradiance during Bleaching Conditions

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journal contribution
posted on 2024-10-21, 02:54 authored by Joel MP Scofield, Emma L Prime, Florita Flores, Andrea Severati, Mathieu Mongin, Elodie Bougeot, Mark E Baird, Andrew P Negri, Greg G Qiao
Coral bleaching is occurring more frequently as the climate changes, with multiple mass mortality events recently recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. Thermal stress coupled with high irradiance have previously been shown to be primary causes for coral bleaching. Therefore, a reduction in either of these pressures could reduce coral stress and eventual bleaching. Herein, we report the early development of a novel technology capable of reducing the amount of light entering a water body by ~20% in open ocean conditions. This mono-particle “sun shield” consists of an ultra-thin monolayer material and reflective calcium carbonate particles. The monolayer enables spreading of the particles into a thin film across the water surface, with only small amounts of material needed: 7.1 g/m2. A numerical modelling case study of residence times and the build-up of reactive oxygen stress in corals showed that the successful application of a stable film over the Lizard Island reef flat could reduce the reactive oxygen stress to below bleaching levels across approximately 1.5 km2 of reef area. With further development, mono-particle films such as this have the potential to be deployed over at-risk coral reefs at relatively small scales during predicted heatwave conditions, potentially reducing the severity of bleaching on coral reefs.

History

Journal

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Volume

12

Article number

1809

Location

Basel, Switzerland

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

2077-1312

eISSN

2077-1312

Language

en

Issue

10

Publisher

MDPI AG