Australia's Great Barrier Reef set for summer of mild temperature

Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef is set for a summer of mild temperatures, boding well for corals hit by a heat wave last year, meteorological authorities said on Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts a summer of "average sea temperatures" across the world's largest coral reef system, according to a Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority media release.

"An average summer will be good news for corals recovering from the major coral bleaching event that occurred as a result of an oceanic heat wave last summer," Great Barrier Reef Marine Park chairman Dr Russell Reichelt was quoted as saying.

"We'll continue working with the Bureau of Meteorology and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the coming months to continue to monitor conditions."

"While the global agreements on climate change are being implemented, everyone can play a role in boosting reef health."

"Following zoning rules, not anchoring on corals, picking up litter, and keeping herbivorous fish on the Reef all contribute to the health of the system."

"All actions -- big or small -- are vital to the Reef's future," Dr Russell Reichelt said.

Warm waters can force corals to expel or lose algae, calcifying and turning them white. Warmer ocean waters had resulted in the largest recorded coral die-off at the Great Barrier Reef, scientists studying the area said recently.

The worst-hit area, stretching 700 km at the northern part of the reef, had lost about two-thirds of its shallow-water corals in the past eight to nine months, according to the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.

Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, which covers more than 340,000 square kilometers, employs 70,000 people and generates 5 billion Australian dollars (3.73 billion U.S. dollars) in annual income, according to the centre. Endit