Researchers backed by international insurer Catlin have examined damage to the Great Barrier Reef following Tropical Cyclone Ita in April.

The impact of cyclones on reefs is still relatively unknown, but the Catlin Seaview Survey photographed coral in the region in 2012, so was able to compare images from before and after the Category 5 storm.

A team of divers from the University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute found huge variance in storm impacts, with no uniform pattern of damage.

The Ribbon Reef region suffered most because the cyclone passed directly overhead, while there was less damage at Osprey Reef because the centre of the storm was about 90km away.

Osprey Reef’s outer walls were damaged, but these corals are hardy and should recover.

The reefs acted as a breakwater, reducing the storm’s impact on their downwind sides and leaving them mostly intact.

Later this year the team will examine how the reefs may have channelled the force of waves, creating the varied pattern of damage.

Catlin Seaview Survey Chief Scientist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who is also Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, says humans cannot control storms in the same way as other reef influences, such as fishing and coastal development.

“Ensuring coral can bounce back from these disturbances is at the heart of the matter. Given the steep decline of coral on the reef, it’s clear we have a lot of work to do.”

Catlin Asia-Pacific CEO Mark Newman says extreme weather compromises the livelihoods of coastal populations.

“At the heart of the Catlin Seaview Survey… is a need to determine if tropical cyclones are causing long-term damage to coral reefs and reducing their effectiveness as protecting barriers for the coastline, its people and their businesses.”