Are the coral reefs really dying?? (2 Viewers)

[webster1234]

How are we supposed to know what to believe any more? It wasn't that long ago I was watching a documentary on how the world's reefs were dying due to global warming. Now I see this article that the Great Barrier Reef has the highest growth rate in recorded history? Ugh!

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[Seaworthy Aquatics]

They don't talk about the full report of course, and just the parts they like. ZeroHedge keeps getting in trouble for this sort of bias from what I understand. The full report they based the article off of basically says it's been a lucky two years for the central and northern sections, the southern actively declined during this period with about a 5% loss per year but zero hedge makes no mention of this. They also say they expect it will be much worse in the coming years.

This is the conclusion from their report:
"As recorded previously, most of the recovery was driven by increases in the fast-growing Acropora corals, which have proliferated across many GBR reefs. Once established, these corals enter an exponential growth phase that rapidly increases measures of percent hard coral cover, as documented in this year’s results. However, they are particularly susceptible to wave damage, like that generated by strong winds and tropical cyclones. They are also highly susceptible to coral bleaching and are the preferred prey for crown-of-thorns starfish. Therefore, large increases in hard coral cover can quickly be overturned by disturbances on reefs where Acropora predominate. The prognosis for the future disturbance regime under climate change is one of increasingly frequent and longer lasting marine heatwaves, with the on-going risk of crown-of- thorns starfish outbreaks and tropical cyclones. There have been four mass coral bleaching events in the past seven years. Mitigation of these climatic threats requires immediate global action on climate change. Crown-of-thorns starfish as coral predators are a major cyclic disturbance on the GBR. The Australian Government’s Crown- of-thorns Starfish Control Program has been active on the GBR during the current outbreak and seeks to decrease starfish numbers at key reefs to reduce the amount of coral lost and diminish the starfish brood stock that propagates the outbreak ‘wave’ southward through most of the GBR. The predicted consequences of climate change, which include more frequent and intense mass coral bleaching events, are now a contemporary reality. Simultaneously, chronic stressors such as high turbidity, increasing ocean temperatures and changing ocean chemistry can all negatively affect recovery rates, while more frequent acute disturbances mean that the intervals for recovery are becoming shorter."

 

[webster1234]

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[R-BallJunkie]

OK, here's a list of where i have dove.....

Kosrae, Chuuk, RMI, Pohnpei, Bali, Thailand, Philippines, Guam, Maldives.....there's more places but don't want to bore you. My 2 cents. Yes, coral bleaching due to persistent high water temperatures is 100% real. I always make a point to ask the local divers what they have observed. If there is re-growth, its the less colorfiul, more tolerant corals such as yellow and brown porites. the slower and more delicate acropora's that are branched in shape do not grow back. If the article states there is regrowth, i don't dispute this however its whats growing back is not being discussed.

 

[Erin]

How are we supposed to know what to believe any more? It wasn't that long ago I was watching a documentary on how the world's reefs were dying due to global warming. Now I see this article that the Great Barrier Reef has the highest growth rate in recorded history? Ugh!

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Highest growth rate in the last decade, not in recorded history

 

[Lambianz]

They don't talk about the full report of course, and just the parts they like. ZeroHedge keeps getting in trouble for this sort of bias from what I understand. The full report they based the article off of basically says it's been a lucky two years for the central and northern sections, the southern actively declined during this period with about a 5% loss per year but zero hedge makes no mention of this. They also say they expect it will be much worse in the coming years.

This is the conclusion from their report:
"As recorded previously, most of the recovery was driven by increases in the fast-growing Acropora corals, which have proliferated across many GBR reefs. Once established, these corals enter an exponential growth phase that rapidly increases measures of percent hard coral cover, as documented in this year’s results. However, they are particularly susceptible to wave damage, like that generated by strong winds and tropical cyclones. They are also highly susceptible to coral bleaching and are the preferred prey for crown-of-thorns starfish. Therefore, large increases in hard coral cover can quickly be overturned by disturbances on reefs where Acropora predominate. The prognosis for the future disturbance regime under climate change is one of increasingly frequent and longer lasting marine heatwaves, with the on-going risk of crown-of- thorns starfish outbreaks and tropical cyclones. There have been four mass coral bleaching events in the past seven years. Mitigation of these climatic threats requires immediate global action on climate change. Crown-of-thorns starfish as coral predators are a major cyclic disturbance on the GBR. The Australian Government’s Crown- of-thorns Starfish Control Program has been active on the GBR during the current outbreak and seeks to decrease starfish numbers at key reefs to reduce the amount of coral lost and diminish the starfish brood stock that propagates the outbreak ‘wave’ southward through most of the GBR. The predicted consequences of climate change, which include more frequent and intense mass coral bleaching events, are now a contemporary reality. Simultaneously, chronic stressors such as high turbidity, increasing ocean temperatures and changing ocean chemistry can all negatively affect recovery rates, while more frequent acute disturbances mean that the intervals for recovery are becoming shorter."

I've seen doc's. about what people are eating from the ocean. And snails are a favorite among the Japanese and Chinese people, and not to mention other countries close. Only thing is Crown-of-thorns starfish love to eat snails, but the fishermen are removing the snails at a alarming rate, so fast, that the starfish starve. Well they have found their replacement, corals, especially the SPS's, full of plankton.. And when the corals dye, they looked bleached, which is normal. Not from the sun bleaching them or some crazy write up that states its climate control or the sun doing all the damage...

 

[Scoto]

These articles are like comparing weather and climate, things can get lucky for a year or two just like we can have a winter freeze and the hottest summer on record back to back. Short term changes should be considered in context with long term trends. Just because one can be contradictory from another doesn't mean there's a malicious agenda or someone is lying, just that the world is a big enough place that two things could be happening at once. The GBR stretches for a really long way, just like the weather isn't the same in California as it is in Washington doesn't mean that there can't be patches that are doing okay when the conditions turn for a few years, but compared to how the reef was 50-100-1000 years ago *shrugs*

Crown of thorns are exclusive coral eaters, I dunno what doc you watched @Lambianz but they do not eat snails, snail and snail relatives are more likely to eat them and maybe that's where it got mixed up? To my knowledge there isn't a consensus on the exact cause of the recent proliferation of crown of thorns but most hypotheses do point to something relating to humans (removal of key predators, nutrient run off, etc)

 

[Lambianz]

These articles are like comparing weather and climate, things can get lucky for a year or two just like we can have a winter freeze and the hottest summer on record back to back. Short term changes should be considered in context with long term trends. Just because one can be contradictory from another doesn't mean there's a malicious agenda or someone is lying, just that the world is a big enough place that two things could be happening at once. The GBR stretches for a really long way, just like the weather isn't the same in California as it is in Washington doesn't mean that there can't be patches that are doing okay when the conditions turn for a few years, but compared to how the reef was 50-100-1000 years ago *shrugs*

Crown of thorns are exclusive coral eaters, I dunno what doc you watched @Lambianz but they do not eat snails, snail and snail relatives are more likely to eat them and maybe that's where it got mixed up? To my knowledge there isn't a consensus on the exact cause of the recent proliferation of crown of thorns but most hypotheses do point to something relating to humans (removal of key predators, nutrient run off, etc)

I just found this, although the write ups seem to be getting bias about the topic as expected.. Maybe I misread the article to begin with some 15 years ago. If the triton snail is the one doing the praying and the fishermen are eating those, then that would be more logical sounding.. Because the triton snail will eat the crown of thorns starfish. If we don't have the snails anymore then we have more and more of the starfish eating the corals.. But it does look like they want to add a lot of the triton snails to the reefs to control this.. Of course if you ask me if we're going to have rain today, unless I see thunder clouds then I would tell you no.. Not listen to some meteorologist and believe everything they say,,,lol,,,smilesss


write up>>>Though the chase may seem slow to human observers, the giant triton is known for relatively high speeds, especially for a snail. It prefers to eat other snails and sea stars, most notably the crown-of-thorns starfish.

 

[Reefahholic]

Interesting. Thanks.

Did you finish the porch?