<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/20/scientists-brace-for-possibility-of-severe-damage-to-great-barrier-reef-from-ex-cyclone-jasper>
"Cyclone Jasper’s slow-moving progress across the Coral Sea exposed as much as
20% of the Great Barrier Reef to waves high enough to break apart corals,
according to modelling from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Scientists are also concerned flood waters from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper that
drained out into the reef’s lagoon waters could damage corals and seagrass
meadows close to shore.
Dr Marji Puotinen, a research scientist at Aims who specialises in studying the
impact of cyclones on coral reefs, said wave heights of four metres or more
were considered enough to rip off parts of coral colonies and cause severe
damage to reefs.
She said while the modelling showed the potential for widespread impacts, the
actual damage would probably be patchy, with some parts of reefs bearing the
full force of waves while others would probably have been spared.
Reefs off Cairns were likely to have faced the most intense wave damage, she
said, because the modelling suggested damaging wave heights were up to eight
metres in some places and were sustained for as long as 36 hours."
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
