Which cyclone caused major damage to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 2011?

Cyclone Yasi caused major damage to parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 2011.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi crossed the Queensland coast near Mission Beach on 3 February 2011 as a powerful tropical cyclone. Its winds and waves damaged coral colonies and affected coastal and island ecosystems across parts of the central Queensland region.

Cyclones can break branching corals, overturn massive colonies and move sediment across reef surfaces. Their effects are highly uneven: some reefs experience severe physical damage, while nearby reefs may be sheltered by their position, depth or local seabed shape.

Cyclone Yasi was one of several disturbances affecting the reef in the early 2010s. It should not be confused with coral bleaching, which is primarily a response to heat stress rather than direct mechanical damage from wind and waves.