Nuked Reef Bounces Back

[Oddsnends]

Mind the radioactive coconuts...

From the New Scientist

What does a coral reef look like 50 years after being nuked? Not so bad, it seems. Coconuts growing on Bikini Atoll haven't fared so well, however.

Three islands of Bikini Atoll were vapourised by the Bravo hydrogen bomb in 1954, which shook islands 200 kilometres away. Instead of finding a bare underwater moonscape, ecologists who have dived it have given the 2-kilometre-wide crater a clean bill of health.

"It was fascinating – I’ve never seen corals growing like trees outside of the Marshall Islands," says Zoe Richards of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Australia.

Richards and colleagues report a thriving ecosystem of 183 species of coral, some of which were 8 metres high. They estimate that the diversity of species represents about 65% of what was present before the atomic tests.

The ecologists think the nearby Rongelap Atoll is seeding the Bikini Atoll, and the lack of human disturbance is helping its recovery. Although the ambient radiation is low, people have remained at bay.
Atomic idyll

"Apart from occasional forays of illegal shark, tuna and Napoleon Wrasse fishing, the reef is almost completely undisturbed to this day," says Maria Beger of the University of Queensland in Australia. "There are very few local inhabitants and the divers who visit dive on shipwrecks, like the USS Saratoga, and not on the reef."

Beger took a Geiger counter with her on dives and says that the background levels were similar to that at any Australian city. The same could not be said of coconuts growing on the islands.

"When I put the Geiger counter near a coconut, which accumulates radioactive material from the soil, it went berserk," says Beger.

Press release from Arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

 

[ItMustBeJames]

Put that together with the radiation-eating black fungus from Chernobyl and you've got yourself a party!

FOXNews.com - Black Fungus Found in Chernobyl Eats Harmful Radiation - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News

 

[Diver Dennis]

I'll bet there are some very interesting sea life mutations to photograph there now...

 

[Papa_Bear]

Just goes to show how resilient life on this blue ball is! The Coconuts have Cesium in them and are still not fit to eat! There was not a lot of Gama Radiation so mutations would not be a problem to living cells.... If the reef can survive a nuke is shows us that reefs and corals are pretty tough! The nay sayers always seem to get it wrong and always under estimate how strong LIFE is! So the come back of the reef is because "Man isn't around" makes me laugh! Thje coral can survive a nuke but not us!

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Its great that a lot of the coral came back over the years, by being "seeded" from areas that were not nuked. Sounds like not all of it came back, here is the quote:

After diving into the crater, Zoe Richards of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University says, “I didn’t know what to expect – some kind of moonscape perhaps. But it was incredible, huge matrices of branching Porites coral (up to 8 meters high) had established, creating thriving coral reef habitat. Throughout other parts of the lagoon it was awesome to see coral cover as high as 80 per cent and large tree-like branching coral formations with trunks 30cm thick. It was fascinating – I’ve never seen corals growing like trees outside of the Marshall Islands.

“The healthy condition of the coral at Bikini atoll today is proof of their resilience and ability to bounce back from massive disturbances, that is, if the reef is left undisturbed and there are healthy nearby reefs to source the recovery.”

However the research has also revealed a disturbingly high level of loss of coral species from the atoll. Compared with a famous study made before the atomic tests were carried out, the team established that 42 species were missing compared to the early 1950s. At least 28 of these species losses appear to be genuine local extinctions probably due to the 23 bombs that were exploded there from 1946-58, or the resulting radioactivity, increased nutrient levels and smothering from fine sediments.

“The missing corals are fragile lagoonal specialists – slender branching or leafy forms that you only find in the sheltered waters of a lagoon,” Zoe explains. While corals in general have shown resilience, Zoe adds that the coral biodiversity at Bikini Atoll has proven only partially resilient to the disturbances that have occurred there."

 

[grassyknoll]

If you really want a laugh, read the coments posted by members at the bottom of the New Scientist Environment link in the OP. Someone even worked in a Monty Python reference
As for the report, great news on the recovery, sort of makes you wonder about all the claims made about how long it takes for damaged reefs to recover, but I wish there had been some pics in the article.
Also, does this mean I can now get my PADI Radioactive Diver cert?

 

[Papa_Bear]

You can go and dive the wrecks now! One of these days! The locals want to move back but the Cesium is the problem not the radiation! Remember it has only been 50 years and more corals will come back! We were told nothing would grow for hundreds of years maybe thousands! Right again!