Scientists Brace For Assessment From Flooding, Wave Damage Along Great Barrier Reef (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. “The damage zone extends from Cooktown to Mackay,” Puotinen said, a distance of more than 750km.

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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/20/scientists-brace-for-possibility-of-severe-damage-to-great-barrier-reef-from-ex-cyclone-jasper