Shade cloth 'could protect reef from global warming' - SBS

Professor Hoegh-Guldberg and fellow researchers say current actions identified in national and international policy will not be enough to counter the impacts of the carbon dioxide emissions, if the trends continue. (AAP)

Options like shade cloth need to be explored as ways of protecting coral and other marine life from global warming, scientists say.

Shade cloth could be soon protecting coral from heat stress if scientists concerned about saving oceans from global warming have their way.

If current trends continue, atmospheric carbon dioxide could increase to more than 80 per cent above pre-industrial levels by 2050.

Rising ocean temperatures and acidity could outstrip the ability of marine species to survive, says Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the Global Change Institute, at University of Queensland.

In a paper published in Nature Climate Change on Monday, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg and fellow researchers say current actions identified in national and international policy will not be enough to counter the impacts of the carbon dioxide emissions, if the trends continue.

He says it is unwise to assume we will be able to stabilise atmospheric carbon dioxide at levels necessary to prevent ongoing damage to marine ecosystems.

"A much broader approach to marine management and mitigation options, including shade cloth, electrical current and genetic engineering must be seriously considered," the professor says.

Shade cloth could protect corals from heat stress, which leads to bleaching and death.

Electrical current could stimulate coral growth and mitigate bleaching, and selective breeding or genetic engineering could help species develop biological resistance and adaptation, he says.

The researchers want the exploration of these and other options - including adding base minerals and silicates to the ocean to neutralise acidity - as part of ocean conservation and management plans in the future.

Prof Hoegh-Guldberg says further research is required to determine if any of the ideas could form the basis of a safe and cost-effective marine conservation strategy.

He recognises some ideas may only prove practical at a local or regional scale.