Dr
Berkelmans
fears,
however,
that
the
Great
Barrier
Reef
is
likely
to
experience
additional
disturbances
and
more
coral
bleaching
next
summer
as
Australia
is
currently
in an
El
Niño
cycle
which
means
unpredictable
weather
and
often
strong
heat
waves.
Dr
Berkelmans
and
his
team
also
monitored
the
impact
of the
coral
bleaching
event
that
impacted
the
region
earlier
this
year.
The
2006
bleaching
event
was
the
worst
bleaching
event
on
record
for
the
Keppel
Islands.
"While
the
reefs
in the
Keppels
have
amongst
the
highest
coral
cover
anywhere
on the
Great
Barrier
Reef,
this
year’s
bleaching
event
caused
just
under
half
of the
region’s
corals
to die
off.
Now we
are
seeing
patches
of
reef
where
all
the
coral
is
dead
which
is
quite
unusual
for
this
area.
Fortunately
though,
many
of the
seaward
reefs
are
still
in
good
condition."
Dr
Berkelmans’
previous
research
on
coral
bleaching
has
shown
that
corals
around
the
Keppel
Islands
are
generally
quite
resilient
to
bleaching
events
due to
their
unique
ability
to
adapt
to
changing
environments.
"While
Keppel
corals
are
typically
more
resilient
to
temperature
changes
than
corals
in
other
regions,
no
corals
can
tolerate
prolonged
exposure
to
freshwater
so
this
sort
of
event
is
both
unpredictable
and
unmanageable.
These
sorts
of
events
demonstrate
the
importance
of
minimising
human
induced
stress
on the
reef
to
ensure
that
they
are as
healthy
as
possible
when
disaster
strikes."
This
is not
the
first
time
reefs
around
the
Keppel
Islands
have
been
exposed
to
freshwater.
A
major
flooding
of the
Fitzroy
River
in
1991
doused
Keppel
Bay
and
its
fringing
reefs
in 18
million
megalitres
of
freshwater
causing
mass
destruction
of
corals
within
4m of
the
surface.
"The
positive
side
of all
this
is
that
we
know
that
these
reefs
have
recovered
from a
similar
event
in the
past
to
become
some
of the
most
spectacular
reefs
on the
GBR."
