By Holly Richardson

By Michael Clarke

ABC Far North

Topic: Great Barrier Reef

Scientists looked at over 120 reefs in the Great Barrier Reef.

In short:

Some parts of the Great Barrier Reef have more coral now.

Experts say heavy rain helped the reef after it got very sick in 2024.

What's next?

Scientists are not sure what will happen to the reef this season.

Heavy rain helped the reef recover from sickness in 2025-26.

A scientist said these are small but promising signs of recovery.

Scientists also looked for starfish and bleaching on the reef.

There was a small bleaching event in 2025, but rain helped the reef.

Source: AIMS

The rain brought cloud cover and cooler water to the reef.

This helped the coral grow again.

A scientist said this is a good sign, but the reef is still in trouble.

But the reef is under a lot of pressure.

The forecast El Niño

A scientist said the reef can recover, but heat stress is a big concern.

The forecast El Niño could hurt the reef more.

Scientists say the results are positive, but the reef is still at risk.

We know that El Niño events have hurt the reef before.

We need to reduce greenhouse emissions to save the reef.

A scientist said it's too early to know how El Niño will affect the reef.

The warmer water is currently on the other side of the Pacific.

Many climate factors affect the reef.

Climate change makes it more likely for the reef to get sick.

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