On a brisk winter's day in Sydney, most people find the seawater temperature near freezing.

A team of Sydney scientists are getting creative about how to provide these underwater gardens with the best chance of survival against global warming, starting with coral found in Sydney Harbour.

Using these findings, researchers will give corals what a nutritional supplement is to humans, but instead of vitamin C, it's fat.

"If corals can feed well, they've got a better chance at surviving a bleaching event."

"The window for saving the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs in the world is getting smaller and smaller", she cautioned.