Shading by misting
Functional objective:
Cooling and shading, to relieve acute heat and light stress on coral reef organisms by temporarily reducing their exposure
Delivery method:
Misting
Deployment scale:
Medium (20 or more reefs)
Subprogram:
Similar to fogging, misting can mimic the effects of sea fog, which – like clouds – reduces the amount of sunlight and heat reaching the sea surface and the coral reefs beneath.
An artificial mist can be generated by dispensing vaporised biogenic oil into the air from devices on moored or attached platforms or vessels.
There are some commercially-available generators that would need to be modified to increase their scale and ability to run over extended periods.
Misting would be intended for intermittent use during summer conditions to form a mist of reflective particles to reduce incoming solar radiation and minimise coral bleaching.
This method is likely to pose more risk to the environment than sea fogging or cloud brightening and would need rigorous research and development.
