Coral Bleaching Response Plan
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has prepared a Coral Bleaching Response Plan. Its development has been triggered by the increasing threat of coral bleaching under projected climate change scenarios. Key objectives of the plan are to:
- Improve ability to predict bleaching risk
- Provide early warnings of major coral bleaching events
- Measure the spatial extent of bleaching
- Assess the ecological impacts of bleaching
- Involve the community in monitoring the health of the Reef
- Communicate and raise awareness about bleaching
- Evaluate the implications of bleaching events for management policy and strategies.
The response plan has the following three main components
Early Warning System |
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Assessment and monitoring |
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Communication |
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 As part of the response plan, a diver surveys the severity and extent of coral bleaching. |
The early warning system is comprised of climate and sea temperature monitoring (ReefTemp) and early detection of coral bleaching by BleachWatch volunteers. If this sytstem identifies conditions conducive to mass bleaching or the early signs of bleaching, the assessment and monitoring component is triggered.
The assessment and monitoring component determines the extent, severity and ecological impacts of a bleaching event. Broad-scale synoptic surveys are used to detect bleaching at large spatial scales. A new system using remote sensing was trialed in 2006 and continues to be under development with our partners, CSIRO and the University of Queensland. The second component, intensive in-water surveys, validate the broad-scale synoptic surveys and assesses the ecological effects of bleaching, including coral mortality.
Communication of bleaching risk and severity is of upmost importance throughout summer (December–March). Regular updates on the web, email alerts and media releases are among the tools used to communicate to the public, collaborators and environmental managers about the current conditions on the Reef.
The response plan has been developed in conjunction with the Reef Manager’s Guide to Coral Bleaching. This helps ensure consistency among bleaching response plans in other regions. The response plan also links with other monitoring programmes such as Eye on the Reef, Reef Check and the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Programme.