Increased frequency of severe weather events 

• More intense cyclones can destroy and weaken the reef structure.
• More extreme rainfall events will send more freshwater and sediment further out from the coast and on to the Reef.

Rising sea temperature

• Greater risk of heat stress and mass coral bleaching.

Ocean acidification

• Changes in the ocean's chemistry can decrease the capacity of corals to build skeletons, decreasing their capacity to create habitat for the Reef's marine life. 
• Since the late 18th century, the oceans have absorbed about 30% of the additional carbon dioxide that human activities have injected into the atmosphere. This extra CO₂ in the oceans has changed their chemistry, a process known as ocean acidification, with the pH of oceans decreasing.

Rising sea levels

• Higher seas can impact many areas including coastal erosion, the size of storm surges and the area available for shallow water marine organisms.
• Small changes in sea levels will mean land inundation which will cause significant changes in tidal habitats such as mangroves and saltwater intruding into low-lying freshwater habitats.

Facing these and other natural and human-induced pressures, coral reefs will be more vulnerable to coral bleaching, disease, crown-of-thorns starfish and tropical cyclones.