<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/22/great-barrier-reef-coral-bleaching-shipping-industry-sulphur>
"Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels
intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing
more of the sun’s energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study.
Sulphur pollution can cause respiratory problems for humans and cause acid
rain, but it also has a shading effect and can make clouds brighter, providing
more shade to areas underneath.
Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led
the research, said the removal of sulphur from the fuels – which he believes is
necessary – had paradoxically caused “a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the
reef”.
Corals on the Great Barrier Reef during a 2022 mass bleaching event were
subjected to up to 10% more heat stress, the study said, because the thousands
of ships in the region were not emitting as much sulphur.
Two years earlier, the UN’s International Maritime Organization introduced
regulations to cut the amount of sulphur allowed in fuels from 3.5% to 0.5%
In the early months of 2022, the Great Barrier Reef suffered it’s sixth mass
bleaching event and the first to occur in a usually cooler La Niña year.
Ryan and colleagues analysed actual ship data from the region between 18 and 28
February 2022, when heat was building up on the reef. About 5,000 ships were in
the area.
Using computer models, Ryan and colleagues looked at the amount of sulphur
emissions that would have been released by the ships in scenarios with and
without the regulations. They then looked at the weather conditions to see how
the sulphur in the air would have moved.
Because the prevailing winds in the region would have blown the sulphur over
the reef, Ryan said the study found between 5% and 10% more of the sun’s energy
was hitting the reef’s waters, compared with what would have happened without
the new regulations."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
