The removal of sulphur from shipping fuels caused ‘a lot of extra sunlight’ to get through atmosphere and hit reef in 2022
Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing more of the sun’s energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study.
Sulphur pollution can cause respiratory problems for humans and cause acid rain, but it also has a shading effect and can make clouds brighter, providing more shade to areas underneath.
Dr Robert Ryan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Melbourne who led the research, said the removal of sulphur from the fuels – which he believes is necessary – had paradoxically caused “a lot of extra sunlight getting on to the reef”.
Corals on the Great Barrier Reef during a 2022 mass bleaching event were subjected to up to 10% more heat stress, the study said, because the thousands of ships in the region were not emitting as much sulphur.
