Tag Archives: Coral Reefs

Australia scrubbed from UN climate change report after government intervention

Posted on by

Exclusive: All mentions of Australia were removed from the final version of a Unesco report on climate change and world heritage sites after the Australian government objected on the grounds it could impact on tourism.

Guardian Australia can reveal the report “World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate”, which Unesco jointly published with the United Nations environment program and the Union of Concerned Scientists on Friday, initially had a key chapter on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as small sections on Kakadu and the Tasmanian forests.

But when the Australian Department of Environment saw a draft of the report, it objected, and every mention of Australia was removed by Unesco. Will Steffen, one of the scientific reviewers of the axed section on the reef, said Australia’s move was reminiscent of “the old Soviet Union”.

Source: Australia scrubbed from UN climate change report after government intervention | Environment | The Guardian

Thailand closes dive sites over coral bleaching crisis

Posted on by

Thailand coralIn a rare move to shun tourism profits for environmental protection, 10 popular dive sites have been shut down in a bid to slow a coral bleaching crisis.

Thailand has shut down 10 popular diving sites in a bid to slow a coral bleaching crisis, an official said Thursday, in a rare move to shun tourism profits to protect the environment.

The tropical country’s southern coastline and string of islands are home to some of the world’s most prized white sand beaches and scuba sites, and the booming tourism industry props up Thailand’s lagging economy.

But warming waters and ever-growing swarms of visitors have damaged coral reefs and local ecosystems.

Source: Thailand closes dive sites over coral bleaching crisis | Environment | The Guardian

A Death of Beauty — Climate Change is Bleaching the Great Barrier Reef Out of Existence

Posted on by

“And then we wept.” On land and at sea, we are destroying nature.

robertscribbler's avatarrobertscribbler

Extinction.

It’s a hard, tough thing to consider. One of those possibilities people justifiably do not want to talk about. This notion that a creature we’re fond of and familiar with — a glorious living being along with all its near and distant relatives — could be entirely removed from the web of existence here on Earth.

Our aversion to the topic likely stems from our own fear of death. Or worse — the notion that the entire human race might eventually be faced with such an end. But extinction is a threat that we’ll see arising more and more as we force the world to rapidly warm. For species of the world now face existential crisis with increasing frequency as atmospheric and ocean temperatures have risen so fast that a growing number of them have simply become unable to cope with the heat.

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia…

View original post 2,330 more words

Nature News Digests

Posted on by

GarryRogersNature News Digests:

Ocean acidification shakes the foundation of cold-water coral reefs

Posted on by

“The longest-ever simulation of future ocean conditions, undertaken by researchers at Heriot-Watt, shows that the skeletons of deep-sea corals change shape and become 20-30% weaker, putting oases of deep-sea biodiversity at risk.

“Because the ocean absorbs much of the extra carbon dioxide produced by human activities, the chemistry of seawater is changing, a process known as ocean acidification. The researchers, who published their findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, have simulated this process in the laboratory: while corals appear to feed and grow well, this hides fundamental changes in the structure of their skeletons. These changes put the whole reef structure at risk.

“Few people are aware that more than half the coral species known to science are found in deep-waters growing in chilly temperatures, and that spectacular reefs supporting a wealth of other marine life grow in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.”  Sourced through Scoop.it from: news-oceanacidification-icc.org

GR:  Ocean warming and acidification may increase rapidly as polar ice masses melt and fresh water spreads across the surface of the heavier, saltier, oceans.  Corals do indeed appear to be doomed.

Something really, really terrible is about to happen to our coral

Posted on by

The last time this happened, we lost almost a fifth of world reefs.

“Coral reefs cover just 0.1 percent of the ocean floor, but provide habitat to 25 percent of sea-dwelling fish species. That’s why coral scientist C. Mark Eakin, who coordinates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch program, is surprised that the warning he has been sounding since last year (PDF)—that the globe’s reefs appear to be on the verge of a mass-scale bleaching event—hasn’t drawn more media attention.

“Bleaching happens when coral loses contact with zooxanthellae, an algae that essentially feeds them nutrients in symbiotic exchange for a stable habitat. The coral/zooxanthellae relationship thrives within a pretty tight range of ocean temperatures, and when water warms above normal levels, coral tends to expel its algal lifeline. In doing so, coral not only loses the brilliant colors zooxanthellae deliver—hence, “bleaching”—but also its main source of food. A bleached coral reef rapidly begins to decline. Coral can reunite with healthy zooxanthellae and recover, Eakin says, but even then they often become diseased and may die. That’s rotten news, because bleaching outbreaks are increasingly common.”  Source: www.motherjones.com

Which Coral Reefs Will Survive Global Warming the Longest?

Posted on by

Global Warming and Coral Reefs

Coral outcrop on Flynn ReefScientists have identified which parts of the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs are most capable of recovering from mass bleaching events which will become more frequent due to global warming.  The information should help conservationists to target their efforts to protect the portions of reefs that are most capable of survival, they say.  Previous studies have shown coral reefs as they exist today will be largely wiped out by climate change in the long term, but the new work by an Australian team shows for the first time which reefs in the short term can be expected to bounce back from bleaching events (Source:  The Guardian, Environment).

GR:  The whole idea that we might save parts of Earth’s natural ecosystems from global warming is troubling. The fundamental principles of island biogeography predict that smaller areas loose species more quickly than large areas. If we try to preserve patches of reefs, deserts, and forests that we deem most resistant to global warming, are we just prolonging the collapse. Wouldn’t it be smarter to spend our energy on stopping global warming?