Coral bleaching at Low Isles during the 1928–1929 Great Barrier Reef Expedition

Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef Expedition (1928-29) observed two of the earliest known examples of coral bleaching during a 13-month stay on Low Isles, northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia.The first was during austral summer in February 1929 in a shallow moat and the second during austral winter in June 1929 on a deeper seaward slope. Using Expedition records and warming, this paper demonstrates how similar environmental cues were involved a century ago and highlights the additional complexity of coral survival in the intertidal zone.