Reef health update | 16 April 202...

Reef health update | 16 April 2026

Reef Health Updates by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Episode notes

Sea surface temperatures continued to cool, dropping by a further 0.4–0.6°C this week across the Marine Park.

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Maila has weakened and was downgraded to a tropical low on 11 April. The system crossed the Cape York Peninsula on 15 April, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall in some areas.

Encouragingly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has now reduced the Coral Reef Watch Bleaching Alert Status to no stress conditions across the entire Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, following further drops in sea surface temperatures - reflecting heat stress easing across the Marine Park.

Since Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle, reports from the Eye on the Reef network have identified coral damage on some outer reefs in the Northern region. In response, the Reef Authority and Queensland Parks and Wildlife S ... 

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