Flood water will have devastating affect on corals and sea grass in parts of Great Barrier Reef . Brodie describes the threat to many coral reefs closest to the flooding rivers as `` quite high '' but expects the flood waters to affect in some way the reefs stretching from Frazer Island , 200 kilometers ( 124 miles ) north of Brisbane , all the way to Cairns , 1,500 kilometers ( 930 miles ) away . Flood water is full of sediment , pesticides and nutrients that kill corals . Comment: Coral reefs can take over a decade to recover from 'bleaching '
Flood water will have devastating affect on corals and sea grass in parts of Great Barrier Reef . Flood water is full of sediment , pesticides and nutrients that kill corals . Comment: Coral reefs can take over a decade to recover from 'bleaching '