Extreme Heat Bleaches Coral, and Threat Is Seen! If you are not talking about this you are wrong!

[sce56]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/earth/21coral.html



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.

Scientists say the trouble with the reefs is linked to climate change. For years they have warned that corals, highly sensitive to excess heat, would serve as an early indicator of the ecological distress on the planet caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases.

We need to get the message out Global Climate Change is happening and it might be too late to fix it!
If you have never seen a reef up close look at it's beauty here:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=coral+reefs+video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8585288891697731581#

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBkQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideos.howstuffworks.com%2Fhsw%2F25864-amazing-coral-reef-threats-to-coral-reefs-video.htm&rct=j&q=Coral%20reef%20videos%20&ei=6MmoTJyVJo6osQP9toGXDQ&usg=AFQjCNHWt_NxmI996U_RX-q2wbG-WBITIg&sig2=vk6d9ItSaQF8dkVUUdhgyA&cad=rja

[stray cat]

1. How frequently do we have to talk about this and can we speak of other things

and still not be wrong?

[Tunkamerica]

2. to be on the safe side i devote 4-6 hours per day to

talking about this, and another 4-6 talking about talking about this.

[Politicalboi]

3. We are in a world of hurt

I was at the Huffington post the other day, and they had a video (which I couldn't watch) since the ice is melting, all of the Sea Lions and Walruses are crammed for resting places. I can't get that out of my head even though I did not watch it. Like I never watched the girl throwing the puppies. It sickens me that we still have assholes who think Global Warming is not real.

[Karenina]

4. When I was in 5th grade, I quipped

that there were enough intelligent people to solve our problems, but MANY MORE stupid people to prevent them from doing so. That was a half century ago.

[sce56]

5. I planned to see the reefs around the world when I retire. Looks like they will all be dead soon:(

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/mass-die-off-at-coral-reef-triggered-by-93-degree-ocean-0450/



Bleached coral in the waters off Aceh province in Indonesia. Credit: WCS Indonesia

One of the most destructive and swift coral bleaching events ever recorded is underway in the waters off Indonesia, where water temperatures have climbed into the low 90s, according to data released by a conservation group this week.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says a dramatic rise in sea temperature, potentially linked to global warming, is responsible for the devastation.

In May, the WCS sent marine biologists to investigate coral bleaching reported in Aceh — a province of Indonesia — located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The initial survey carried out by the team revealed that more than 60 percent of corals in the area were bleached.

Subsequent monitoring of the Indonesian corals completed in early August revealed one of the most rapid and severe coral mortality events ever recorded. The scientists found that 80 percent of some species have died since the initial assessment, and more colonies are expected to die within the next few months.

"This is a tragedy not only for some of the world’s most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region, many of whom are extremely impoverished and depend on these reefs for their food and livelihoods," said WCS Marine Program Director Caleb McClennen. Coral reefs provide haven for fish and other creatures, and larger fish tend to congregate around reefs because they are good places to feed.

Bleaching — a whitening of corals that occurs when symbiotic algae living within coral tissues are expelled — is an indication of stress caused by environmental triggers such as fluctuations in ocean temperature. Depending on many factors, bleached coral may recover over time or die.

The event is the result of a rise in sea surface temperatures in the Andaman Sea — an area that includes the coasts of Myanmar, Thailand, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and northwestern Indonesia. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Hotspots website, temperatures in the region peaked in late May at more than 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius). That's 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) higher than long-term averages for the area.

"It's a disappointing development particularly in light of the fact that these same corals proved resilient to other disruptions to this ecosystem, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004," said WCS Indonesia Marine Program Director Stuart Campbell.


In 2005, the area's coral was healthy. Rising water temperatures are wiping out Aceh's coral reefs just five years later. Credit: WCS Indonesia.