The role of clouds in coral bleaching events over the Great Barrier Reef

Zhao, Wenshuo; Huang, Yi; Siems, Steven T.; Manton, M. J.

doi:10.1002/essoar.10506847.1

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Our main study domain is (as in Zhao et al ., 2021) shown in Figure 1, which is defined as the Greater GBR region. Three subdomains are defined in Figure 1a, namely land, GBR, and open ocean.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The important role of local cloud cover in modulating the regional energy budget across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) was explored in Zhao et al . (2021), and the importance of clouds in preventing thermal coral bleaching was highlighted. Usually, warmer sea surface temperature (SST) is recognized as one of the main drivers of coral bleaching (Donner et al ., 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zhao et al . (2021) identified a natural relationship between local cloud cover, radiation and SST, independent of the large‐scale El Niño‐Southern Oscillation impacts, particularly over the subtropical trade wind area where low clouds prevail. Low clouds reflect a significant fraction of incoming solar radiation and emit long‐wave radiation at relatively high temperatures, and thus exert a net cooling effect on the earth (Klein and Hartmann, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(a) and (b) are reproduced from Figure 1 in Zhao et al . (2021). GBR, Great Barrier Reef [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A characterization of clouds over the Great Barrier Reef and the role of local forcing

Zhao

Huang

Siems

et al. 2022

Intl Journal of Climatology

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A characterization of cloud properties associated with precipitation in the region around the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is constructed using decadelong (2007-2017) satellite observations from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) combined with CloudSat. The spatial and vertical distributions of low-level cloud properties over the region are also investigated and discussed. In general, different cloud types are observed over different regions and vary by season: high clouds are dominant over the low latitudes in summer, altocumulus are mainly observed over northeast Queensland and low-level clouds are dominant over the ocean and coast during the winter months at higher latitudes under a trade wind regime. A strong latitudinal dependence of total precipitation across the Greater GBR region is identified with a significant orographic enhancement near Cairns in the wet tropics. MODIS and CloudSat-CALIPSO cloud observations show good agreement on significant differences in low-level cloud microphysical properties between the land and the ocean. The largest land-ocean differences in warm cloud microphysical properties are found over the mid-latitudes near 18 S, which is strongly associated with orographic forcing, with these enhancements extending further east to the coral reef area. However, the frequency of warm cloud is not enhanced upwind of the mountains in the wet tropics. In addition, no significant differences in warm cloud properties between the actual GBR and the open ocean are identified. These results suggest that low-level clouds over the GBR do not show any significant response to the reef-related microphysical perturbations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(a) and (b) are reproduced from Figure 1 in Zhao et al . (2021). GBR, Great Barrier Reef [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A characterization of clouds over the Great Barrier Reef and the role of local forcing

Zhao

Huang

Siems

et al. 2022

Intl Journal of Climatology

Self Cite

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“…We note a weak pos- While archetype #4 can be easily interpreted as an El-Niño like pattern, the interpretation of archetype #3 is more ambiguous, suggesting a role for local dynamics not identified by the large-scale patterns extracted by AA. 50…”

Section: Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef Marine Heatwavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-Scale Drivers of Marine Heatwaves Revealed by Archetype Analysis

Chapman

Monselesan

Risbey

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Extreme oceanic events, such as marine heatwaves, can have disastrous impacts on ecosystems and marine industries. Given their potential consequences, it is important to understand how broad-scale climate variability influence the probability of local extreme marine events. Here, for the first time, we employ an advanced data-mining methodology, archetype analysis, to identify large scale climate drivers and teleconnections that lead to marine extremes in certain regions. This methodology is applied to the Australasian region, where it identifies instances of anomalous sea-surface temperatures, frequently associated with marine heatwaves, as well as the broadscale oceanic and atmospheric conditions associated with those extreme events. Additionally, we use archetype analysis to assess the ability of a low-resolution climate model to accurately represent the teleconnection patterns associated with extreme oceanic temperatures, and discuss the implications for the predictability of these impactful events.

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Unprecedented early-summer heat stress and forecast of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, 2021-2022

et al. 2022

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The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is predicted to undergo its sixth mass coral bleaching event during the Southern Hemisphere summer of 2021-2022. Coral bleaching-level heat stress over the GBR is forecast to start earlier than any previous year in the satellite record (1985-present). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) near real-time satellite-based heat stress products were used to investigate early-summer sea surface temperature (SST) and heat stress conditions on the GBR during late 2021. As of 14 December 2021, values of instantaneous heat stress (Coral Bleaching HotSpots) and accumulated heat stress over a 12-week running window (Degree Heating Weeks) on the GBR were unprecedented in the satellite record. Further, 89% of GBR satellite reef pixels for this date in 2021 had a positive seven-day SST trend of greater than 0.2 degrees Celsius/week. Background temperatures (the minimum temperature over the previous 29 days) were alarmingly high, with 87% of GBR reef pixels on 14 December 2021 being greater than the maximum SST over that same 29-day period for any year from 1985-2020. The GBR is starting the 2021-2022 summer season with more accumulated heat than ever before, which could have disastrous consequences for the health, recovery, and future of this critical reef system.

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The role of clouds in coral bleaching events over the Great Barrier Reef

Cited by 3 publications

References 36 publications

A characterization of clouds over the Great Barrier Reef and the role of local forcing

A characterization of clouds over the Great Barrier Reef and the role of local forcing

Large-Scale Drivers of Marine Heatwaves Revealed by Archetype Analysis

Unprecedented early-summer heat stress and forecast of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, 2021-2022

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