Scientists Successfully Freeze Great Barrier Reef Coral

Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
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Scientists Successfully Freeze Great Barrier Reef Coral

Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialed a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change.

Scientists are scrambling to protect coral reefs as rising ocean temperatures destabilize delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years including the first ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.

Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild but the current process requires sophisticated equipment including lasers. Scientists say a new lightweight "cryomesh" can be manufactured cheaply and better preserves coral. In a December lab trial, the world's first with Great Barrier Reef coral, scientists used the cryomesh to freeze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS). The coral had been collected from the reef for the trial, which coincided with the brief annual spawning window.

"If we can secure the biodiversity of coral … then we'll have tools for the future to really help restore the reefs and this technology for coral reefs in the future is a real game-changer," Mary Hagedorn, senior research scientist at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute told Reuters from the AIMS lab.

The cryomesh was previously trialed on smaller and larger varieties of Hawaiian corals. A trial on the larger variety failed.

Trials are continuing with larger varieties of Great Barrier Reef coral.

The trials involved scientists from AIMS, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the Great Barrier Reef foundation and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

The mesh technology, which will help store coral larvae at -196C, was devised by a team from the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, including Dr. Zongqi Guo and Professor John C. Bischof. It was first tested on corals by researcher Nikolas Zuchowicz.

“This new technology that we’ve got will allow us to do that at a scale that can actually help to support some of the aquaculture and restoration interventions,” said Jonathan Daly of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.



Strange Foam and Dead Fish Wash Ashore at 2 Australian Beaches as Surfers Fall Sick 

This image made from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corp., shows foam washing up on beach Monday, March 17, 2025, in Waitpinga, near Adelaide. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP) 
This image made from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corp., shows foam washing up on beach Monday, March 17, 2025, in Waitpinga, near Adelaide. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP) 
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Strange Foam and Dead Fish Wash Ashore at 2 Australian Beaches as Surfers Fall Sick 

This image made from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corp., shows foam washing up on beach Monday, March 17, 2025, in Waitpinga, near Adelaide. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP) 
This image made from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corp., shows foam washing up on beach Monday, March 17, 2025, in Waitpinga, near Adelaide. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP) 

An Australian state closed two beaches after dead fish and an unusual off-white foam washed ashore while surfers reported feeling unwell, officials said on Tuesday.

A microalgal bloom created by unusual weather conditions was suspected to have sickened humans and marine life as well as creating the foam that has covered hundreds of meters (yards) of coastline, South Australian Environment Protection Authority principal scientific officer Sam Gaylard said.

“It is very concerning,” Gaylard told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“It is unusual at this scale. At this time of year, when the weather conditions allow, we do occasionally get isolated blooms, but something of this scale is definitely a little bit unusual,” Gaylard added.

Waitpinga Beach and neighboring Parsons Beach, both south of the South Australia state capital Adelaide, have been closed to the public since Monday in response to a “fish mortality event in the area,” the Department for Environment and Water said in a statement.

“The beaches will be re-opened as soon as possible,” the department said.

Dozens of dead fish have reportedly been washed ashore.

Surfers have been complaining since the weekend of getting sore eyes, sore throats and coughing after contact with the water, said local Anthony Rowland, who surfed at Waitpinga on Saturday.

“While we were out there, we started coughing,” Rowland said, referring to his surfing comrades. He said he was overwhelmed by the response from other surfers after posting his experience online.

“Lots of people reached out – so many people have said they’re had exactly the same symptoms,” Rowland said.

Marine scientists took water samples from the foam, which is a byproduct of the toxic organisms' decay, on Monday, but it could take until the end of the week to identify the organism, Gaylard said.

A bloom of microalgae – microscopic, single-celled organisms – could have been caused by a recent extended period of hot and dry weather with little wind and low tides, Gaylard said.

A swell has picked up in the area since Sunday, and the turbulence could break up the algae while generating more foam, he said.

“At the moment, we’re not sure how long this will last,” Gaylard said.