Goodbye coral reefs

[Outbound]

Pretty grim when they are looking cryo storage to save them

As a diver and as someone who gives a damn about the other stuff that inhabits our planet it is such a shame.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8324954.stm

That said, I wasn't aware we could even do cryogenics yet.

[mybrainhurts]

the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (Globe).......WTF?

So, how is CO2 going to duff up the coral reefs..?

[OnTheOverrun]

I wouldn't worry if I were you it's just more climate change scaremongering.

In 1995 everyone was convinced that because of acid rain an area of rainforest the size of Wales was disappearing ever hour and that by 2008 no-one in London would be able to walk outside without a face mask. . . . . . .

[turbobloke]

As somebody who shares your (OP) concern for other living things, but considers current approaches to biodiversity a curious alternative and arbitrary freeze-frame approach to interfering with nature, it would be very good to avoid this supposed loss from occurring.

However, there are parts of that BBC report that make it appear merely part of the softening up process for Copenhagen in a month or so.

The BBC article said:

A meeting in Denmark took evidence from researchers that most coral reefs will not survive even if tough regulations on greenhouse gases are put in place.

Scientists proposed storing samples of coral species in liquid nitrogen.

That will allow them to be reintroduced to the seas in the future if global temperatures can be stabilised.

Greenhouse gas emissions have no signal in global climate (temperature) data.

So, pointless and costly reductions such as Kyoto and Son of Kyoto - if an offspring emerges from Copenhagen - are incapable of doing anything to help.

The earth's climate is a complex nonlinear chaotic coupled ocean-atmosphere system that is not capable of being stabilised.

So it would score highly on genuine concern for other living species if much or even any of that sentiment was present, rather than toe-the-line on message and on timetable ecobullst.

[JD]

So which is it?

The coral reef is dieing from CO2 emissions, or the Coral reef is dieing due to climate change?

I wonder if the article was written by the same people that made that stupid advert on the telly

[Jasandjules]

Without a clear line of reasoning I cannot really argue with them. I suspect that may be the idea.

I can say, with certainty, that corals are perfectly happy at 26-28 degrees, I know people who run their tanks at those temps. I can state the calcium, magnesium and DKH levels can fluctuate quite a lot and corals can cope. The issue is, in the main, IME and in the experience of others who keep corals in their tanks, stability. If a level (be it calcium, alkalinity, temp etc) is outside of the "accepted" parameters, as long as the level has been reduced/increased slowly, the corals tend to cope.

[turbobloke]

"Efforts to link global change to coral reef degradation have continued without making any significant headway"
(Clive Wilkinson, Coordinator of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network)

That remark appeared in the UK press at the time when John 'Snorkel' Presclot was doing his diving p.r. stunt, I know as I extracted it, but has apparently been expunged from the entire universe since then. Worried establishmemt gatekeepers probably, the truth must not out. Maybe he was asked to 'step down'. Anybody finding it surviving anywhere in the media source (the quote, not the Coordinator) gets a shilling on the side.

Edited by turbobloke on Sunday 25th October 21:16

[Outbound]

Like a few of you I'm not sure of the cause of the decline of the reefs, but whatever the reason it is the apparent end result is what saddens me.

If reefs are truely beyond saving then I consider this a great loss for everyone, along with all the life that is supported by the coral that without it will join the history books, for we don't have cryogenics that can preserve more complex organisms.

[mondeoman]

Reefs come and go, other stuff comes and goes.

Its politicised BS. How old is the planet? How old is the oldest coral reef?

Are they going to tax us to stop tectonic plate movement next?

Betty swollocks

[chris watton]

I wouldn't worry too much - I am sure that if the coral reefs were to go from one place, they will start thriving somewhere else - nature is not as delicate as the propaganda you're fed would like you to believe.

ETA mondeoman beat me to it!

Edited by chris watton on Sunday 25th October 21:30

Edited by chris watton on Sunday 25th October 21:44

[hidetheelephants]

There was a feature on the BBC news a couple of months ago about this; the argument was that elevated levels of CO2 in the sea raised the local pH in shallow waters and was literally dissolving the coral and the shells of invertebrates, which being made mostly of calcium carbonate don't like acids much. It also features an old mate of mine from Uni, Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, gurning for the camera.

[Jasandjules]

I've seen tanks running at a PH of 9, in fact there is a certain fellow I am aware of who advocates a PH of 9.5 or so (8.3 is the "optimum")....

I've seen on tank running at 28c and a PH of 9.5 or so (the fellow had rather wrongly calibrated his PH meter!) and the 28c was because the lighting unit heated the tank up considerably and the chiller couldn't cope.

[catso]

mondeoman said:

Reefs come and go, other stuff comes and goes.

Indeed and if it gets warmer, as they are saying, then the new reefs will be closer to home.

[turbobloke]

hidetheelephants said:

There was a feature on the BBC news a couple of months ago about this; the argument was that elevated levels of CO2 in the sea raised the local pH in shallow waters and was literally dissolving the coral and the shells of invertebrates, which being made mostly of calcium carbonate don't like acids much. It also features an old mate of mine from Uni, Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, gurning for the camera.

Another viewpoint or three on ocean acidification, the next big scare coming our way in order to control lifestyles, attack capitalism, and raise more taxes to redistribute:

acid in the oceans fraud

oceans, acidification and corals


Loss of corals, one thing. Baseless ecomythology, another thing.

[turbobloke]

Guam said:

Oddly enough the BBC itself destroyed its own case on ocean temps destroying Coral on the Oceans series they did a feature on the Red Sea and found the reefs growing in Sea temperatures well above those supposed to be causing the death of the reefs.

There is something odd going on thats for sure, I would be looking for something more fundamental (pollution tourist pressure etc).

Cheers

Disease too - think back to acid rain.

[Zod]

Funny, I saw a lot of regrown reef in the Maldives last month.

[FourWheelDrift]

mybrainhurts said:

So, how is CO2 going to duff up the coral reefs..?

The animals have been scared away by the vibrations from the million or so Co2 friendly sea based wind turbines put up in shallow waters. The bigger fish go away, so there is no longer a full life cycle, so no life/death struggle, no scraps and leftover food for the plants and animals that live on the reefs, the plants die the reef dies.

Maybe.

But I'd bet my dog on there being lots of unforeseen circumstances to man's "climate change prevention" based meddling.

[glazbagun]

I almost linked to this as, MMGW politics aside, the loss of the Coral Reefs is a real tragedy. However I couldn't link to an article which used English like this:

article said:

Scientists proposed storing samples of coral species in liquid nitrogen.

That will allow them to be reintroduced to the seas in the future if global temperatures can be stabilised.

Surely that should be "this would allow them", no? Am I being thick or is that pretty poor? It's like reading The Sun.

[XJSJohn]

JD said:

So which is it?

The coral reef is dieing from CO2 emissions, or the Coral reef is dieing due to climate change?

I wonder if the article was written by the same people that made that stupid advert on the telly

the main reasonc for reefs dying is dynamite fishing, chemical fishing or just levels of toxisity in the waters.

bugger all to do with global wotsiting.

[Uncle Fester]

It’s dying from lack of tax dollars.

Its proven scientific fact that if I’m not paying extra tax to keep it alive, then I’m killing it.