Arabic version: تعافي مرجان ليدي إليوت بعد تبريد إعصار ألفريد للمياه
According to ABC News, about 90 per cent of bleached coral around Lady Elliot Island has returned to good health after Cyclone Alfred brought cooler water to the Great Barrier Reef. The cyclone formed in February 2025 after widespread bleaching affected the reef during the summer of 2024.
Lady Elliot Island, the Great Barrier Reef’s southernmost coral cay, showed a dramatic change from bleached coral in February 2024 to regenerated healthy coral in early 2026. Marine biologist and master reef guide Erin Watson said water temperatures dropped by about 2 degrees Celsius. She said corals that had bleached were no longer visibly distinguishable during a snorkel.
Coral bleaching occurs when stressed coral expels zooxanthellae, algae living in its tissues that provide food and colour. Without the algae, coral cannot feed and its tissue becomes transparent, exposing its white calcium carbonate skeleton. Rising water temperatures linked to climate change are a key cause, but coral can recover when conditions, including water temperature, improve.
Australian Institute of Marine Science research team leader Mike Emslie said the 2024 event was the most severe and geographically extensive bleaching event in the institute’s 40 years of reef monitoring. It caused substantial mortality, with 40 per cent of reefs recording their largest annual decline in coral cover. He said cyclones can create a cooling wake but can also generate storm swell that damages fragile coral skeletons.
Scientists and island staff are now hoping for a strong coral spawning event later this year. Watson said coral needs several years after bleaching to rebuild energy reserves for spawning. Leaf to Reef project manager Christine Dudgeon said Lady Elliot Island’s proximity to the continental shelf, including cold-water upwelling, has traditionally offered a potential buffer against bleaching. She warned that frequent or prolonged bleaching events do not allow the environment enough time to recover.
