Little fluffy clouds may help save Australia's Great Barrier Reef

A general view of Broadhurst Reef and a research vessel during the second field trial at Broadhurst Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia in March 2021, in this handout photo released to Reuters on September 27, 2021. Brendan Kelaher/Handout via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - To slow the speed at which high temperatures and warm waters bleach the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists are spraying droplets of ocean water into the sky to form clouds to protect the environmental treasure.

Researchers working on the so-called Cloud Brightening project said they use a turbine to spray microscopic sea particles to thicken existing clouds and reduce sunlight on the world's largest coral reef ecosystem located off Australia's northeast coast.