Konomie Island: One of the world's natural wonders lies under the turquoise seas off the coast of Australia, an underwater rainbow forest filled with life that experts believe is revealing some of the clearest symptoms of climate change yet.

The Great Barrier Reef, damaged but not destroyed by climate change impacts, inspires both optimism and concern as experts race to find out how it can survive in a warming world. Authorities are attempting to buy time for the reef by merging old wisdom with cutting-edge technology. They are researching coral reproduction in the aim of accelerating regrowth and adapting it to cope with hotter and harsher waters.

Researchers say damage to the Great Barrier Reef caused by climate change is accelerating. Heat waves and cyclones driven in part by greenhouse gas emissions have devastated coral reefs. "It's going to be a roller coaster," says Anne Hoggett, director of Lizard Island Research Station.
Billions of microscopic animals called polyps have built this breathtaking 1,400-mile-long colossus. It is home to thousands of known plant and animal species and boasts a $6.4 billion annual tourism industry. Scientists have seen disasters get bigger and more frequent over 37 years of underwater surveys.

Corals expel tiny organisms that power the reefs through photosynthesis, causing branches to lose their color or "bleach." Without these algae, corals don't grow, can become brittle, and provide less for the nearly 9,000 reef-dependent species.

Scientists say corals need to be able to reproduce faster if they are to survive global warming. To speed up their growth, they need to boost genes that survive higher temperatures. So they take to the sea to gather coral eggs and sperm during spawning. Back in the lab, they test ways to speed up corals' reproductive cycle and boost gene expression.

Engineers are designing robots to fit in mother ships that would deploy underwater drones. Those drones would attach genetically-selected corals to the reef with boomerang-shaped clips. Corals in specific targets will enhance the reef's "natural recovery processes". The long-term plan is to grow "tens to hundreds of millions" of baby corals every year.

Voters in Australia have grown more concerned with climate change, helping sweep in new national leadership in this year's federal elections. The nation's previous prime minister, Scott Morrison, was a conservative who was chided for minimizing the need to address climate change. Australia has recently been slammed by historic wildfires, floods, and cyclones exacerbated by climate instability.

Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of coal and liquefied natural gas and lags behind major industrial countries' emission targets. The new government has blocked a coal plant from being opened near the Great Barrier Reef, yet recently allowed other coal plants new permits. It is also continuing investment to boost the reef's natural ability to adapt to rapidly warming climate.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to over 30% of marine biodiversity. Coral reefs are essential for the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people all over the tropics. The reef is "part of the national identity of Australians and of enormous spiritual and cultural significance for our First Nations people."

Indigenous groups now have a growing role in the management of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Multiple members of the Yirrganydji and Gunggandji communities work as guides, sea rangers, and researchers. The government seeks their permission for projects there and hires them to study and repair them.

Aims to use drones to "buy the reef time" as humanity cuts carbon emissions. It's too expensive now to scale up to the levels needed to protect the reef, Randall says. But within 10 to 15 years, robots could be in the water, she says.

“Unless we can get emissions under control, we don’t have much hope for the reef ecosystem.”