Coral reefs bleach under extreme heat

[Old Rocks]

Boy, you bring enough stupid for the whole board.

 

[jc456]

Boy, you bring enough stupid for the whole board.

So tell us how less LWR makes more heat?

 

[jc456]

 

[waltky]

Granny wonderin' if he any kin to Lou Asner?...

China's militarization in South China Sea harms reefs, U.S. scientist says
March 30, 2017 -- China's reclamation and military buildup on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is doing lasting damage to the ecosystem, and coral reef cover has declined by more than half as a result of activities.

According to Greg Asner, an ecologist with the Carnegie Institution for Science, research shows reef harboring military bases were destroyed as atolls were dredged and converted. "We compared the proportion of coral reef on occupied atolls to unoccupied ones, and our research, published this month, found up to a 70 percent reduction in reef cover on those harboring military bases," Asner writes. There are now 15 military bases in the island chain and their presence is posing a threat to the atolls and reefs in the sea that support 600 coral species and 6,000 types of fish, according to the U.S. scientist.

Reef fish for sale in Hong Kong to supply the local pet trade. China’s militarization of South China Sea islands is doing irreversible damage to coral reef ecosystems.​

Asner also said China has been doing the most damage. Other island claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines, have taken turns dredging about 100 acres over four decades, but Beijing has reclaimed 3,000 acres since 2014. Asner said he and his colleague conducted underwater surveys and satellite imagery analysis to conclude the activities on the Spratly Islands have done damage, and that "millions of colorful life forms have been wiped off the planet."

China has defended its decision to militarize the islands. In May 2015, China identified issues including "hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism," as reasons for the buildup. The activities would "safeguard" Chinese interests, the military has said. In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping said "an impregnable wall for border and ocean defense" was of the highest priority.

China's militarization in South China Sea harms reefs, U.S. scientist says

 

[Old Rocks]

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds

Higher water temperatures in 2016 caused the worst destruction of corals ever recorded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a study has found.

Some 67% of corals died in the reef's worst-hit northern section, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies report said.

The situation was better in the central section, where 6% perished, while the southern reef is in good health.

But scientists warn recovery could be difficult if climate change continues.

Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise for a sustained period of time.

In February, March and April, sea surface temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef were the hottest on record, at least 1C higher than the monthly average.

"Some of the initial mortality was down to heat stress," said study leader Professor Terry Hughes.

"The coral was cooked."

How bleaching occurs
Far more has been lost through gradual starvation, after the coral expelled the colourful algae zooxanthella, which turns sunlight into food.

This is what leads to the white, skeletal appearance of the coral, which is left without its main source of energy.

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds - BBC News

A major bleaching event last year, doesn't look much better for this year.

 

[skookerasbil]

Oh Gawd......not this shit again!

 

[Old Rocks]

The coral reefs are the most productive life zones in the oceans. The majority of them die, and there will be far less life in the oceans, which translates to less available fish for many on the people on this planet.

 

[Billy_Bob]

This year’s extreme heat is putting the world’s coral reefs under such severe stress that scientists fear widespread die-offs, endangering not only the richest ecosystems in the ocean but also fisheries that feed millions of people.

From Thailand to Texas, corals are reacting to the heat stress by bleaching, or shedding their color and going into survival mode. Many have already died, and more are expected to do so in coming months. Computer forecasts of water temperature suggest that corals in the Caribbean may undergo drastic bleaching in the next few weeks.

What is unfolding this year is only the second known global bleaching of coral reefs. Scientists are holding out hope that this year will not be as bad, over all, as 1998, the hottest year in the historical record, when an estimated 16 percent of the world’s shallow-water reefs died. But in some places, including Thailand, the situation is looking worse than in 1998.

Extreme Heat Bleaches Coral, and Threat Is Seen

And then there is common sense and physical evidence over centuries which indicate that this is normal cyclical behavior.

Now why would they choose to ignore the paleo record which indicates that this has happened over and over again, and that the sea life adapts quickly to the temperature changes.. (in a matter of years as is evidenced in the quick returns of other coral reefs globally)

Another fantasy model that defies reality and observed evidence...

 

[Billy_Bob]

Oh Gawd......not this shit again!

Its been about a year and the idiots think our memories are too short to remember..

 

[flacaltenn]

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds

Higher water temperatures in 2016 caused the worst destruction of corals ever recorded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a study has found.

Some 67% of corals died in the reef's worst-hit northern section, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies report said.

The situation was better in the central section, where 6% perished, while the southern reef is in good health.

But scientists warn recovery could be difficult if climate change continues.

Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise for a sustained period of time.

In February, March and April, sea surface temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef were the hottest on record, at least 1C higher than the monthly average.

"Some of the initial mortality was down to heat stress," said study leader Professor Terry Hughes.

"The coral was cooked."

How bleaching occurs
Far more has been lost through gradual starvation, after the coral expelled the colourful algae zooxanthella, which turns sunlight into food.

This is what leads to the white, skeletal appearance of the coral, which is left without its main source of energy.

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds - BBC News

A major bleaching event last year, doesn't look much better for this year.

Very unscientific statements in that piece. Especially about the "cooking" -- because bleaching can be a COOLING event as well. Especially in the greater than +/-2 degC over weeks type time frame.

In fact bleaching CAN BE any of one of about 6 or 8 factors. Including changes in salinity, UV exposure, sea level rise/fall, non-organic pollution, etc..

And I don't suppose that this chart BELOW would have ANYTHING at all with the fragile eco system..

Naaawww. Couldn't be. There would be NO FUNDING to investigate it..

Except that we NOW KNOW that LOCALIZED bleaching events can be blamed on agriculture runoff, EVEN minute amounts of sunscreen components at popular dive sites. But CERTAINLY, not things like UV shifts, pollution or ENSOs or even COOLING events.

 

[flacaltenn]

Hey Old Rocks --- when the GW gambit alone FAILS -- ask some REAL environmentalists for advice.


Crunch time for Caribbean corals

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 7 September 2012 (IUCN) – Time is running out for corals on Caribbean reefs. Urgent measures must be taken to limit pollution and regulate aggressive fishing practices that threaten the existence of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems, according to a new IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report.

Average live coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined to just 8% of the reef today, compared with more than 50% in the 1970s according to the report’s findings. Furthermore, rates of decline on most reefs show no signs of slowing, although the deterioration of live coral cover on more remote reefs in the Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands and elsewhere is less marked—with up to 30% cover still surviving. These areas are less exposed to human impact as well as to natural disasters such as hurricanes.

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

IUCN is calling for strictly enforced local action to improve the health of corals, including limits on fishing through catch quotas, an extension of marine protected areas (MPAs), a halt to nutrient runoff from land and a reduction on the global reliance on fossil fuels. Through the IUCN-coordinated Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), there are also moves to strengthen the data available concerning coral reef decline at a worldwide level.

From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed

The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.

The results show that the Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. But according to the authors, restoring parrotfish populations and improving other management strategies, such as protection from overfishing and excessive coastal pollution, could help the reefs recover and make them more resilient to future climate change impacts.

“The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “But this study brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover.”

Climate change has long been thought to be the main culprit in coral degradation. While it does pose a serious threat by making oceans more acidic and causing coral bleaching, the report shows that the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin – the area’s two main grazers – has, in fact, been the key driver of coral decline in the region. An unidentified disease led to a mass mortality of the sea urchin in 1983 and extreme fishing throughout the 20th century has brought the parrotfish population to the brink of extinction in some regions. The loss of these species breaks the delicate balance of coral ecosystems and allows algae, on which they feed, to smother the reefs.

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

 

[Old Rocks]

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds

Higher water temperatures in 2016 caused the worst destruction of corals ever recorded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a study has found.

Some 67% of corals died in the reef's worst-hit northern section, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies report said.

The situation was better in the central section, where 6% perished, while the southern reef is in good health.

But scientists warn recovery could be difficult if climate change continues.

Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise for a sustained period of time.

In February, March and April, sea surface temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef were the hottest on record, at least 1C higher than the monthly average.

"Some of the initial mortality was down to heat stress," said study leader Professor Terry Hughes.

"The coral was cooked."

How bleaching occurs
Far more has been lost through gradual starvation, after the coral expelled the colourful algae zooxanthella, which turns sunlight into food.

This is what leads to the white, skeletal appearance of the coral, which is left without its main source of energy.

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds - BBC News

A major bleaching event last year, doesn't look much better for this year.

Very unscientific statements in that piece. Especially about the "cooking" -- because bleaching can be a COOLING event as well. Especially in the greater than +/-2 degC over weeks type time frame.

In fact bleaching CAN BE any of one of about 6 or 8 factors. Including changes in salinity, UV exposure, sea level rise/fall, non-organic pollution, etc..

And I don't suppose that this chart BELOW would have ANYTHING at all with the fragile eco system..

Naaawww. Couldn't be. There would be NO FUNDING to investigate it..

Except that we NOW KNOW that LOCALIZED bleaching events can be blamed on agriculture runoff, EVEN minute amounts of sunscreen components at popular dive sites. But CERTAINLY, not things like UV shifts, pollution or ENSOs or even COOLING events.

Real fucking dumb. The article states that the temperatures were the hottest ever record on the reef. What is it with you, Mr. Flacaltenn? Why are you trying to divert and lie about what the article states in very clear english?

 

[Old Rocks]

Hey Old Rocks --- when the GW gambit alone FAILS -- ask some REAL environmentalists for advice.


Crunch time for Caribbean corals

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 7 September 2012 (IUCN) – Time is running out for corals on Caribbean reefs. Urgent measures must be taken to limit pollution and regulate aggressive fishing practices that threaten the existence of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems, according to a new IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report.

Average live coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined to just 8% of the reef today, compared with more than 50% in the 1970s according to the report’s findings. Furthermore, rates of decline on most reefs show no signs of slowing, although the deterioration of live coral cover on more remote reefs in the Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands and elsewhere is less marked—with up to 30% cover still surviving. These areas are less exposed to human impact as well as to natural disasters such as hurricanes.

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

IUCN is calling for strictly enforced local action to improve the health of corals, including limits on fishing through catch quotas, an extension of marine protected areas (MPAs), a halt to nutrient runoff from land and a reduction on the global reliance on fossil fuels. Through the IUCN-coordinated Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), there are also moves to strengthen the data available concerning coral reef decline at a worldwide level.

From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed

The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.

The results show that the Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. But according to the authors, restoring parrotfish populations and improving other management strategies, such as protection from overfishing and excessive coastal pollution, could help the reefs recover and make them more resilient to future climate change impacts.

“The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “But this study brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover.”

Climate change has long been thought to be the main culprit in coral degradation. While it does pose a serious threat by making oceans more acidic and causing coral bleaching, the report shows that the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin – the area’s two main grazers – has, in fact, been the key driver of coral decline in the region. An unidentified disease led to a mass mortality of the sea urchin in 1983 and extreme fishing throughout the 20th century has brought the parrotfish population to the brink of extinction in some regions. The loss of these species breaks the delicate balance of coral ecosystems and allows algae, on which they feed, to smother the reefs.

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”
.......................................................................................
Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

However, both articles state that bleaching from rising sea temperatures is the primary culprit. And even with the suggested measure taken, the reefs are only more resilient to climate change, not immune to it.

 

[flacaltenn]

Hey Old Rocks --- when the GW gambit alone FAILS -- ask some REAL environmentalists for advice.


Crunch time for Caribbean corals

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 7 September 2012 (IUCN) – Time is running out for corals on Caribbean reefs. Urgent measures must be taken to limit pollution and regulate aggressive fishing practices that threaten the existence of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems, according to a new IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report.

Average live coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined to just 8% of the reef today, compared with more than 50% in the 1970s according to the report’s findings. Furthermore, rates of decline on most reefs show no signs of slowing, although the deterioration of live coral cover on more remote reefs in the Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands and elsewhere is less marked—with up to 30% cover still surviving. These areas are less exposed to human impact as well as to natural disasters such as hurricanes.

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

IUCN is calling for strictly enforced local action to improve the health of corals, including limits on fishing through catch quotas, an extension of marine protected areas (MPAs), a halt to nutrient runoff from land and a reduction on the global reliance on fossil fuels. Through the IUCN-coordinated Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), there are also moves to strengthen the data available concerning coral reef decline at a worldwide level.

From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed

The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.

The results show that the Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. But according to the authors, restoring parrotfish populations and improving other management strategies, such as protection from overfishing and excessive coastal pollution, could help the reefs recover and make them more resilient to future climate change impacts.

“The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “But this study brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover.”

Climate change has long been thought to be the main culprit in coral degradation. While it does pose a serious threat by making oceans more acidic and causing coral bleaching, the report shows that the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin – the area’s two main grazers – has, in fact, been the key driver of coral decline in the region. An unidentified disease led to a mass mortality of the sea urchin in 1983 and extreme fishing throughout the 20th century has brought the parrotfish population to the brink of extinction in some regions. The loss of these species breaks the delicate balance of coral ecosystems and allows algae, on which they feed, to smother the reefs.

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”
.......................................................................................
Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

However, both articles state that bleaching from rising sea temperatures is the primary culprit. And even with the suggested measure taken, the reefs are only more resilient to climate change, not immune to it.

Hey Old Rocks --- when the GW gambit alone FAILS -- ask some REAL environmentalists for advice.


Crunch time for Caribbean corals

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 7 September 2012 (IUCN) – Time is running out for corals on Caribbean reefs. Urgent measures must be taken to limit pollution and regulate aggressive fishing practices that threaten the existence of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems, according to a new IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report.

Average live coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined to just 8% of the reef today, compared with more than 50% in the 1970s according to the report’s findings. Furthermore, rates of decline on most reefs show no signs of slowing, although the deterioration of live coral cover on more remote reefs in the Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands and elsewhere is less marked—with up to 30% cover still surviving. These areas are less exposed to human impact as well as to natural disasters such as hurricanes.

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

IUCN is calling for strictly enforced local action to improve the health of corals, including limits on fishing through catch quotas, an extension of marine protected areas (MPAs), a halt to nutrient runoff from land and a reduction on the global reliance on fossil fuels. Through the IUCN-coordinated Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), there are also moves to strengthen the data available concerning coral reef decline at a worldwide level.

From despair to repair: Dramatic decline of Caribbean corals can be reversed

The report, Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012, is the most detailed and comprehensive study of its kind published to date – the result of the work of 90 experts over the course of three years. It contains the analysis of more than 35,000 surveys conducted at 90 Caribbean locations since 1970, including studies of corals, seaweeds, grazing sea urchins and fish.

The results show that the Caribbean corals have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. But according to the authors, restoring parrotfish populations and improving other management strategies, such as protection from overfishing and excessive coastal pollution, could help the reefs recover and make them more resilient to future climate change impacts.

“The rate at which the Caribbean corals have been declining is truly alarming,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “But this study brings some very encouraging news: the fate of Caribbean corals is not beyond our control and there are some very concrete steps that we can take to help them recover.”

Climate change has long been thought to be the main culprit in coral degradation. While it does pose a serious threat by making oceans more acidic and causing coral bleaching, the report shows that the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin – the area’s two main grazers – has, in fact, been the key driver of coral decline in the region. An unidentified disease led to a mass mortality of the sea urchin in 1983 and extreme fishing throughout the 20th century has brought the parrotfish population to the brink of extinction in some regions. The loss of these species breaks the delicate balance of coral ecosystems and allows algae, on which they feed, to smother the reefs.

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”
.......................................................................................
Crunch time for Caribbean corals

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

Reefs protected from overfishing, as well as other threats such as excessive coastal pollution, tourism and coastal development, are more resilient to pressures from climate change, according to the authors.

However, both articles state that bleaching from rising sea temperatures is the primary culprit. And even with the suggested measure taken, the reefs are only more resilient to climate change, not immune to it.

Even tho you redlined a few prayers of faith in GW being the SOLE cause of reef degradation, I'll stick with the analysis in those articles. I'd be SHOCKED if a 1degC in 80 years has CAUSED all that damage by itself.. Because the short term temperature variance on reefs is more like +/- 2 degC. More in shallow water.

So you continue to ignore studies like this that FIND other stressors of those eco-systems at your peril.. .
These folks did EXTENSIVE surveys of the areas. So I tend to give them credit for knowing the possible theories and fixes..

 

[Olde Europe]

Even tho you redlined a few prayers of faith in GW being the SOLE cause of reef degradation

Old Rocks' quote said:

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

He sure is grateful for you inventing his stance for him, for that would constitute a straw man tiny enough for you to wrestle down.

Of course, coral reefs are subject to a plethora of stresses, and are widely succumbing to their combined effects. And that's why Lundin clearly stated, "there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

So, either Rocks' argument was too hard for you to understand, or you've been lying, again, about your opponent's stance.

 

[flacaltenn]

Even tho you redlined a few prayers of faith in GW being the SOLE cause of reef degradation

Old Rocks' quote said:

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Looking forward, there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

He sure is grateful for you inventing his stance for him, for that would constitute a straw man tiny enough for you to wrestle down.

Of course, coral reefs are subject to a plethora of stresses, and are widely succumbing to their combined effects. And that's why Lundin clearly stated, "there is an urgent need to immediately and drastically reduce all human impacts if coral reefs and the vitally important fisheries that depend on them are to survive in the decades to come.”

So, either Rocks' argument was too hard for you to understand, or you've been lying, again, about your opponent's stance.

Perhaps you should ASK Goldie Rocks what HE thinks about all those other stressors and quit attacking me about "straw men". One OBVIOUS FACT is -- I think that I know his views and preferences a LOT better than you do. So again -- SHOVE the obvious ad hominem replies. You're getting to be pretty useless on the TOPICS and seem to be only interested in annoying me...

 

[Sun Devil 92]

From Wikipedia, bleached coral up front, same species of healthy coral behind.

Global's warming surgical Coral strike

yes, yes, yes, exactly, one out of an entire ocean floor in the area. Frank, I never tire of the stupid in here.

Thanks for the laugh!!!!!!

It was a plant (pardon the pun).

 

[Olde Europe]

Perhaps you should ASK Goldie Rocks what HE thinks about all those other stressors and quit attacking me about "straw men". One OBVIOUS FACT is -- I think that I know his views and preferences a LOT better than you do. So again -- SHOVE the obvious ad hominem replies. You're getting to be pretty useless on the TOPICS and seem to be only interested in annoying me...

You know, FCT, perhaps you should ask Old Rocks before supplanting his opinion with your flawed take on it. Respectful debate requires nothing less. Moreover, you seem to have a good understanding of the science. All the more disappointing is your failure to engage in debate worth its name, and, as a mod, setting an example of silly name-calling ("Goldie Rocks"), and interpreting the statements of others in ways that are in obvious variance with the plain reading of the text they type or paste.

How is it even possible, I have to ask, to accuse Old Rocks thus...

So you continue to ignore studies like this that FIND other stressors of those eco-systems at your peril.. .​

... when the quote provided reads:

“The major causes of coral decline are well known and include overfishing, pollution, disease and bleaching caused by rising temperatures resulting from the burning of fossil fuels,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin [...]

However, both articles state that bleaching from rising sea temperatures is the primary culprit. And even with the suggested measure taken, the reefs are only more resilient to climate change, not immune to it.

That seems like an explicit acknowledgment of the study, and the other stressors to me.

BTW, that's not ad hominem, that's insisting on real debate, as opposed to disingenuous misrepresentations.

 

[skookerasbil]

You know one thing for sure when the AGW alarmists drag out the "coral reef bleaching" stuff, times are real, real bad. But I get it......when you are losing left and right, you pull out the most absurd stuff.

Nobody cares about coral bleaching........its been happening on and off forever. Who cares about it? The climate OCD's only...... = very few people.

Only a mental case could sit there and actually think humans could actually do something about coral bleaching.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds

Higher water temperatures in 2016 caused the worst destruction of corals ever recorded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a study has found.

Some 67% of corals died in the reef's worst-hit northern section, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies report said.

The situation was better in the central section, where 6% perished, while the southern reef is in good health.

But scientists warn recovery could be difficult if climate change continues.

Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise for a sustained period of time.

In February, March and April, sea surface temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef were the hottest on record, at least 1C higher than the monthly average.

"Some of the initial mortality was down to heat stress," said study leader Professor Terry Hughes.

"The coral was cooked."

How bleaching occurs
Far more has been lost through gradual starvation, after the coral expelled the colourful algae zooxanthella, which turns sunlight into food.

This is what leads to the white, skeletal appearance of the coral, which is left without its main source of energy.

Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds - BBC News

A major bleaching event last year, doesn't look much better for this year.

Very unscientific statements in that piece. Especially about the "cooking" -- because bleaching can be a COOLING event as well. Especially in the greater than +/-2 degC over weeks type time frame.

In fact bleaching CAN BE any of one of about 6 or 8 factors. Including changes in salinity, UV exposure, sea level rise/fall, non-organic pollution, etc..

And I don't suppose that this chart BELOW would have ANYTHING at all with the fragile eco system..

Naaawww. Couldn't be. There would be NO FUNDING to investigate it..

Except that we NOW KNOW that LOCALIZED bleaching events can be blamed on agriculture runoff, EVEN minute amounts of sunscreen components at popular dive sites. But CERTAINLY, not things like UV shifts, pollution or ENSOs or even COOLING events.

Real fucking dumb. The article states that the temperatures were the hottest ever record on the reef. What is it with you, Mr. Flacaltenn? Why are you trying to divert and lie about what the article states in very clear english?

You must have read a different article

"the report shows that the loss of parrotfish and sea urchin – the area’s two main grazers – has, in fact, been the key driver of coral decline in the region. An unidentified disease led to a mass mortality of the sea urchin in 1983 and extreme fishing throughout the 20th century has brought the parrotfish population to the brink of extinction in some regions. The loss of these species breaks the delicate balance of coral ecosystems and allows algae, on which they feed, to smother the reefs."