Parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been spared further heat stress after a late summer monsoon brought much-needed cooling to the world-famous coral reef off the country's east coast.
Clouds and rain arrived in the first months of the year just as early signs of fresh coral bleaching were emerging in northern and central parts of the reef, according to the latest annual report published on Tuesday by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).
Wind and waves also helped mix warmer surface water with cooler water from deeper layers. AIMS said the latest findings showed encouraging signs of recovery.
Hard coral cover increased slightly in the northern and central regions. In the north, it rose from 30% to 35.1% between August 2025 and June 2026, while in the central region it increased from 28.6% to 31.6%. In the south, it slipped slightly from 26.9% to 26.4%.
AIMS surveyed 121 reefs for the report. Coral cover increased at 28% of them, remained unchanged at 56% and declined at 16%.
The reef has experienced six mass bleaching events between 2016 and 2025.
Bleached corals are severely stressed but are often not dead and can recover if conditions improve and water temperatures fall.
However, the reef remains under pressure. Fast-growing Acropora corals can recover quickly but are particularly sensitive to heat, and those gains could be wiped out within a year by another severe bleaching event, AIMS monitoring programme leader Mike Emslie warned.
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Rising ocean temperatures pose a growing threat, alongside poor water quality, coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, cyclones and severe weather.