At a Glance

Researchers proposed cloud brightening as one of the best ways to save the Great Barrier Reef.The process involves spraying particles of sea salt into the clouds.Two-thirds of the reef's corals have been severely bleached.

In order to save Australia's Great Barrier Reef, marine scientists have suggested we look to the skies for a solution, and altering clouds may be one of the best hopes to keep the coralalive.

The researchers have explored the possibility of in order to cool the waters around the reef, according to MIT Technology Review.

The reef has sustained widespread coral bleaching over the last two years. Bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by changes in their environment,which leads them to discharge tiny photosynthetic algaeknown as zooxanthellae.

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Recently, scientists learned, according to a previous report.

"Cloud brightening is the only thing we've identified that's scalable, sensible and relatively environmentally benign," University of Sydney research associate Daniel Harrison told MIT Technology Review.

The idea was first proposed almost 30 years ago by scientist John Latham , according to Nature. The process would involve fleets of ships that spraysmall particles of seasalttoward low-lying marine clouds that hug continental coasts. The purpose would be to encourage more rain droplets to form and to widen the clouds' total surface area.

There have not yet been any systems tested for brightening clouds, but a team of scientists based in Californiadeveloped a nozzle for this purpose in recent years, MIT Technology Review also said. Their proposed design could spray salt particles that are just the appropriate size and quality to brighten the clouds, but they are still in the process of raising several million dollars to build full-scale sprayers.

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Though it seems to be the most plausible option to save the Great Barrier Reef, some scientists remain uncertain it will be enough to benefit the corals.

"I just don't think there are enough clouds of the right type there that would be susceptible to marine cloud brightening," climate scientist Ken Caldeira told MIT Technology Review.

According to Caldeira, below a certain geographic footprint, it may be hard to make a big enough difference in the density of the clouds to really see a change.

Harrison said he intends to look at the issues raised by Caldeira in his feasibility research.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Coral Bleaching