Coral Reef Prediction

[ShallowDiverDave]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10/25/coral.threat.ap/index.html



If this was already posted, mods can you please merge/delete this thread. But I havent seen it here, so I'm posting it.

 

[ShallowDiverDave]

I just read it, perhaps it's news we already knew.

 

[Bill51]

What they fail to point out is that coral are migratory animals on a VERY long migration schedule and we’re starting to see new corals up here where they haven’t been since the medieval warming.

 

[onfloat]

I have been wondering about corals growing in areas that were too cold before the sea started to warm up.

 

[Bill51]

I have been wondering about corals growing in areas that were too cold before the sea started to warm up.

I’ve found some new coral and sponges growing 4 miles from the shuttle launch pad. I’m not sure if it’s actually warming of the ocean or just the warm outflow from the powerplants, but they can be more adaptable little critters than we give them credit at times.

 

[Guba]

That works for the fast-growing species (I'm referring to those corals that have the ability to establish new colonies in areas that were too cool before the warming) but it cannot help those species that rely on long periods of stable conditions and have exceedingly slow growth rates. Certainly, there will be survivors of any major climatic upheaval. After all, the earth has been going through a lot of changes for an awfully long time, and corals have survived them all.
HOWEVER, does that mean there won't be huge die-offs during those climatic upheavals? Of course not. A number of species will go extinct and other populations may very well be diminished, up to the point that the coral reef ecosystems we know and love to dive may be greatly reduced in number and size. In some parts of the world, reef systems may disappear altogether.
This sounds like a gloomy forecast, but remember that it's a "worst case" scenario. The real question is "can we do anything about it", and the jury is still out on that one.

 

[www.scubamazing.com]

This sounds like a gloomy forecast, but remember that it's a "worst case" scenario. The real question is "can we do anything about it", and the jury is still out on that one.

Guba, I think you've got a good point. Hopefully we can be pro-active about it. I know this is getting mor and more in the new and politics, so hopefully we'll have better strategy soon.

 

[Guba]

And that's precisely why I have reason to be optimistic.
If you are, er, "experienced" (translate that to "older") you remember how rapidly the rain forests were once being destroyed, and the frightening part was that no one really knew that much about what was going on. Then, in the late 70's and 80's, there were several popular movies that highlighted the situation and popularized it. One was Medicine Man, with Sean Connery. Another was Emerald Forest, and on the kid's front there was Ferngulley. These movies and a number of documentaries and TV programs brought the problem to the forefront and soon organizations began to spring up in order to save the forests or at least slow down the rate of their destruction.
That is what I see is needed for the health of our oceans. As divers, we simply must be proactive in bringing the ocean's causes to the attention of everyone, especially those who do not live near the sea. Only when more people are ready to get involved will we see real change begin to occur. That's why I volunteer time to be a spokesperson for the national marine sanctuaries in an area that is pretty landlocked. Hopefully, we'll begin to make a difference.