‘Underwater bushfire’ devastating reefs yet to let up
Some corals have been found to skip bleaching to go to instantaneous mortality after being hit with particularly extreme heat stress.
oceans
Famous beaches closed as monster swells lash coast
Huge waves have smashed Australia's east, closing beaches and causing damage along the coastline.
Halt surfing amid shark boom, victim’s friend says
Surfing on South Australia's west coast is now too dangerous because of a surge in the population of great white sharks, a friend of a shark attack victim says.
‘Summer from hell’ sparks reef coral bleaching fears
Experts are bracing for the impact of another hot summer on the Great Barrier Reef after it suffered its worst coral bleaching of 2024.
Coral spawning program hailed a great success for reef
Scientists have used an Australian-made coral restoration technique called Coral IVF to boost the outcome of the Great Barrier Reef's annual coral spawning.
Anger over handling of major reef health report
The latest government cash splash for the Great Barrier Reef failed to mention a major report about its "very poor" prospects was about to drop.
Ocean health ‘at tipping point’ as climate threat grows
As climate change threatens the health of Australia's oceans, the government is developing a plan that will attempt to bolster the biome's sustainability.
Warnings of reef at risk with centuries-first heating
Governments have welcomed the UN not listing the Great Barrier Reef as in danger, but new research shows water temperatures are at dangerously high levels.
Heatwave, cyclones cast doubt on reef coral recovery
Coral cover was up across the Great Barrier Reef before the treasured ecosystem suffered a devastating marine heatwave and two cyclones, scientists say.
Scuba artists take a deep dive to draw inspiration
A Queensland artist and dive enthusiast is hosting drawing sessions at the Museum of Underwater Art on the Great Barrier Reef - waterproof paper supplied.
Kiwi super trawler targets threatened fish in Australia
Australia is allowing a foreign super trawler to harvest a threatened fish species off Tasmania, amid serious concerns about a population crash.
Why land burials of whales dig a big hole for the ocean
Nature will be the big winner if Australia stops burying dead whales and gives the mighty creatures sea burials instead, researchers say.
Conservationists welcome downsized NSW wind farm zone
The federal government has given the green light to a downsized offshore wind farm zone stretching along the NSW Illawarra coast, south of Sydney.
Reef in crisis: scientists despair as corals perish
Scientists from three research stations on the Great Barrier Reef have shared sobering accounts of the damage inflicted by the latest marine heatwave.
Dodging polar bears and scoffing butter on Arctic trek
A glaciologist from subtropical Queensland is about to embark on an epic Arctic trek that combines science, adventure and an obscene amount of butter.
Coral reefs hit by fourth global bleaching event
A fourth global coral bleaching event is under way, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared.
Scientists despair as even deep corals cook
Scientists are rattled over the latest bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef, saying it will not survive the ongoing exploitation of fossil fuels.
Coral bleaching hits 75 per cent of Great Barrier Reef
Coral bleaching driven by climate change has hit three quarters of the Great Barrier Reef as the federal government continues to fight an in-danger listing.
Ocean floor littered with plastic pollution: CSIRO
The ocean floor is littered with up to 100 times more plastic than what is on the surface, a landmark new estimate by the CSIRO suggests.
Mass coral bleaching occurring on most of barrier reef
Climate change is driving another mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef - the fifth in eight years.
First reports of severe coral bleaching on reef
Corals are dying from severe bleaching around the Keppel Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, scientists say.
Australia sends reef health update to UNESCO
Australia has submitted a progress report to UNESCO as part of ongoing efforts to ward off an in-danger listing for the Great Barrier Reef.
Ultra rare, grumpy fish gets a hand in extinction fight
A precious haul of incredibly rare red handfish are making themselves at home after extinction fears sparked a rescue mission off Tasmania.
Controversial shark nets being removed from beaches
Ahead of predicted wild weekend weather, controversial shark nets are being removed from beaches in southern Queensland as a precaution.
Australia signs global treaty to protect the high seas
Conservationists are praising Australia's leadership after it signed a new pact to protect the parts of the global ocean that don't belong to any country.
Reef used to road-test water quality forecasting system
The CSIRO is testing a new system on the Great Barrier Reef that could one day pump out water quality forecasts, much like weather reports.
Off-the-scale marine heatwave forecast for south east
Another marine heatwave is about to hit the waters off south east Australia and there are some lessons about what might be in store from an earlier event.
Oyster lovers on epic mission to restock Queensland bay
Once plentiful oysters are now functionally extinct in Brisbane's Moreton Bay but scientists say a volunteer group is onto something that could change that.
Bleaching halts coral recovery on Great Barrier Reef
Hard coral recovery has paused on most of the Great Barrier Reef thanks to a mass bleaching event in 2022, which should have been a cooler year for sea life.
NSW nets trap few sharks but lots of threatened species
Threatened species accounted for more than 70 per cent of everything caught in shark nets at NSW beaches in the last eight-month netting season.
Overfishing takes big bite out of reef sharks globally
Overfishing is driving the world's reef sharks towards extinction but Australia is doing relatively well at managing populations, a new study shows.