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Thread: As Great Barrier Reef Ails, Australia Scrambles To Save It

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    As Great Barrier Reef Ails, Australia Scrambles To Save It

    Ixne to arkshe insfe

    http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2...les-to-save-it

    The Great Barrier Reef has long been in trouble. One Australian government report in 2012 estimated the reef had lost more than half its coral since 1985.

    Now it's in such bad shape that the United Nations has warned it could list the World Heritage site as "in danger" next year. The Australian government is considering a new 35-year plan to rescue the reef.

    Nearly 2 million tourists travel to the reef each year. Many of them scuba dive to explore this expansive water world up close. It's what brought Madison Lewis to the reef, a college student from Virginia studying in Australia.

    "I just expected to see a bunch of really exotic animals and cool coral reefs and stuff, and this went beyond my expectations," Lewis says.

    The Great Barrier Reef — the world's largest living structure — generates some $5.6 billion a year in tourism revenue for Australia. But like many of the world's reefs, its future is in jeopardy. Climate change, invasive fish and pollution have killed off much of the reef.
    my junk is ugly

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    Highest alert level over an epidemic of coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef...

    Climate action urged over Great Barrier Reef bleaching
    Tue, Mar 22, 2016 - Environmental groups yesterday urged greater action on climate change after the Australian government declared the highest alert level over an epidemic of coral bleaching in the pristine northern reaches of the nation’s Great Barrier Reef.
    The Australian government on Sunday said that corals had turned white and grey in parts of the World Heritage-listed marine park, with the bleaching “severe” in northern areas. Environmental group the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) said large sections of coral near Lizard Island were drained of all color and fighting for survival. “The reef can recover, but we must speed up the shift to clean, renewable energy and we must build reef resilience by reducing runoff pollution from farms and land clearing,” WWF spokesperson Richard Leck said. Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their color.

    Corals can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae are able to recolonize them. “The pictures we are seeing coming out of the northern Great Barrier Reef are devastating,” said Shani Tager of Greenpeace Australia Pacific. “The Queensland and federal governments must see this as a red alert and act accordingly.” Tager called on the government to reconsider coal mining, saying the burning of the fuel is “driving climate change, warming our waters and bleaching the life and color out of our reef.”


    People snorkel near coral at the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, on June 11 last year.

    Australian Minister of the Environment Greg Hunt, who inspected the area by air on Sunday, said three-quarters of the reef is experiencing “minor to moderate bleaching.” He said that while the bleaching is nowhere near as bad as in 1998 or 2002, in the top quarter, north of Lizard Island, it was severe. Jodie Rummer, a senior research fellow at James Cook University, said after spending 40 or so days at Lizard Island that the situation is “not good at all.”

    Rummer said that while the northern parts of the reef are among its most beautiful and pristine, they have also been hard hit by cyclones in recent years, which have caused structural damage to the coral. “Certain areas that are typically 100 percent coral cover — which is a really healthy reef — are almost 100 percent bleached now; so it is quite disturbing,” she said. “It is quite sobering to think that this is the wake up call that we are getting to take better care of our environment.”

    http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worl.../22/2003642186

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    Global Warming Surge May Defeat Great Barrier Reef's Natural Defenses...

    Global Warming Surge May Rout Great Barrier Reef's Natural Defenses
    April 14, 2016 — A heat surge from global warming would overwhelm the natural ability of coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef to survive seasonal temperature changes, in much the way sunbathers would burn if they did not build their tan slowly.
    A study released Thursday examined 27 years of temperature data along the world's biggest reef. It found that corals were able to cope with gains in water temperatures when the heat built up step-by-step, rather than abruptly. In three-quarters of 372 cases studied along the reef, water temperatures gained and then dipped for about 10 days before rising to a peak high enough to kill corals, the study found. That 10-day respite apparently let the corals build up resistance and survive warm shocks.


    Bleaching on a coral reef at Halfway Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

    But corals suffered far more damage in the quarter of cases when temperatures rose sharply, to above local temperature thresholds for damage along the 1,600-mile (2,575-km) reef, researchers wrote in the journal Science. The safer pattern was like a human sun-worshipper lying in the sun for short periods to build a tan and avoid sunburn, said co-author Scott Heron of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Impact of global warming

    Global warming would eliminate the natural resistance to heat shocks, the study said, because direct rises to harmful temperatures would become more frequent, they wrote. "Near-future increases in local temperature of as little as 0.5 degree Celsius [0.9 Fahrenheit] result in this protective mechanism being lost, which may increase the rate of degradation of the Great Barrier Reef," they wrote. Corals — tiny animals with stony skeletons — suffer bleaching when temperatures rise because the colorful algae that live with them and provide food die off. Reefs can sometimes recover from short-term bleachings, but die if they persist.


    A tourist swims on the Great Barrier Reef in this undated file picture. Abrupt changes in water temperature overwhelm the natural ability of coral to survive, a new study shows.

    Worldwide, last year was the warmest since records began in the 19th century, boosted by man-made activities and an El Nino event in the Pacific. A U.N. report in 2014 said there were already early warning signs that warm water corals and the Arctic, where ice is melting, were experiencing irreversible changes. Lead author Tracy Ainsworth of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University said it was unclear if the same heat resistance applied to other reefs from Indonesia to Belize. The study suggested more efforts to reduce other threats to the reef, such as industrial pollution.

    http://www.voanews.com/content/globa...s/3286223.html

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    93% of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching...

    Just 7% of Barrier Reef escapes bleaching
    Wed, 20 Apr 2016 - An extensive aerial and underwater survey reveals that 93% of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching.
    An extensive aerial and underwater survey has revealed that 93% of Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching. This follows earlier warnings that the reef was experiencing its worst coral bleaching event on record. Prof Terry Hughes from the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce told the BBC the link between bleaching and global warming was "very well established". Rising water temperatures cause corals to drive out colour-giving algae. The corals can die if conditions do not return to normal. The taskforce's survey shows that the extent of the damage is most severe in the northern section of the 2,300km (1,429 mile)-long reef, which lies off the cost of Queensland state. Only 7% of the reef showed no signs of bleaching, Prof Hughes said. The effects of El Nino, as well as climate change, are being blamed for the rise in sea temperatures that causes the bleaching.


    More than 900 individual reefs were surveyed using a light plane and a helicopter, with the accuracy of the aerial survey then checked by teams of scuba divers. "I'm inherently an optimist, but I think we have a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to save the Great Barrier Reef," Prof Hughes said. "If we don't take action on global warming it will become more degraded. "After three bleaching events the mix of coral species has already changed." This bleaching event is far more severe than previous bleaching events recorded in 2002 and 1998, he said. "We know that this time only 7% of the reef didn't bleach. It was closer to 40% in the other two events. "If these events start coming as frequently as every five to 10 years there will not be sufficient coral regeneration," he said.

    Tourism to the Great Barrier Reef generates $A5bn ($3.9b, £2.7bn) each year and employs around 70,000 people, the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce said. "Thankfully many parts of the reef are still in excellent shape," said Daniel Gschwind, chief executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council in a statement. "But we can't just ignore coral bleaching and hope for a swift recovery." The current worldwide bleaching event, which is also affecting reefs on Australia's north-west coast, is predicted to be the worst on record. The Australian Department of Environment previously said that state and federal governments were investing a projected A$2bn over the next decade to protect the reef.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-36080615
    See also:

    Barrier Reef: Vinegar could curtail coral-eating starfish
    Scientists have found a cheap new way to kill coral-eating starfish that are damaging the Great Barrier Reef.
    The crown-of-thorns starfish is one of the main culprits in a massive coral cover decline on the reef. A trial conducted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) found that injecting the starfish with vinegar showed a 100% mortality rate. Vinegar is cheaper and more accessible than ox bile, which is currently injected into the starfish.

    Current eradication methods are limited to those that manually remove each starfish or lethally inject them. "For that, vinegar is a great method. Vinegar can be bought at any supermarket and is roughly half the price," lead researcher Lisa Bostrom-Einarsson from James Cook University told the BBC's Rone McFarlane. She said the method still needs further testing before it can be fully rolled out and used on the reef. Research needs to ensure that the vinegar does not harm other sea life.


    Crown-of-thorns starfish feeding on coral in the Great Barrier Reef.

    The method is not enough to save the Great Barrier Reef, she said, but could help save individual reefs in the meantime. "The ideal would be to stop the cots (crown-of-thorns starfish) outbreaks from occurring altogether, but we still know relatively little about what causes them."

    The past 30 years have seen a 50% drop in coral cover on the reef, according to researchers at Aims. Crown-of-thorns starfish, along with cyclones, have caused the most damage. Research by Aims has suggested that increasingly frequent outbreaks of the starfish might be fuelled by nutrients from land-based agriculture. Agricultural nutrients in the seawater cause an increase in the amount of phytoplankton, which the starfish larvae feed on.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-34337394

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    Bleaching likely to destroy half the coral...

    Half Australia's Great Barrier Reef coral 'dead or dying': scientists
    April 20, 2016 - Australian scientists said on Wednesday that just seven percent of the Great Barrier Reef, which attracts around A$5 billion ($3.90 billion) in tourism every year, has been untouched by mass bleaching that is likely to destroy half the coral.
    Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. Mildly bleached coral can recover if the temperature drops, otherwise it may die. Although the impact has been exacerbated by one of the strongest El Nino weather systems in nearly 20 years, scientists believe climate change is the underlying cause. "We've never seen anything like this scale of bleaching before. In the northern Great Barrier Reef, it's like 10 cyclones have come ashore all at once," said Professor Terry Hughes, conveyor of the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce, which conducted aerial surveys of the World Heritage site. "Our estimate at the moment is that close to 50 percent of the coral is already dead or dying," Hughes told Reuters.


    The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300 km (1,430 miles) along Australia's northeast coast and is the world's largest living ecosystem. "There were some who said that the worst had passed. We rejected that, and they were wrong," Environment Minister Greg Hunt told reporters. "Let it be known that this is a significant event. We take it seriously." U.S. President Barack Obama embarrassed Australia 18 months ago by warning of the risk of climate change to the reef during a G20 meeting. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee last May stopped short of placing the Great Barrier Reef on an "in danger" list, but the ruling raised long-term concerns about its future. Australia is one of the largest carbon emitters capita because of its reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity.

    Despite pledging to cut carbon emissions, Australia has continued to support fossil fuel projects, including Adani Enterprises Ltd's proposed A$10 billion ($7.7 billion) Carmichael coal project in the Galilee Basin in western Queensland. "It’s not good enough for them to say they care about the reef while they keep backing the coal industry and avoid tackling climate change,” said Shani Tager, a Greenpeace campaigner. The findings will likely place pressure on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of an expected federal election on July 2. Turnbull is an advocate of carbon trading and supports progressive climate policies, but has left some disappointed over a failure to strengthen his party's commitment to addressing climate change.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/half-aust...ce.html?ref=gs

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    Bleaching kills a third of Great Barrier Reef coral...

    Mass coral bleaching destroys at least a third of Great Barrier Reef
    Tuesday 31st May, 2016 - Mass coral bleaching has destroyed at least 35 per cent of the northern and central Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists said on Monday, a major blow to the World Heritage Site that attracts about $5-billion Australian ($3.59-billion U.S.) in tourism each year.
    Australian scientists said the coral mortality figure will likely rise as some of the remaining 65 per cent of coral in the northern and central reefs fails to recover from bleaching. The report casts a shadow over the long-term prospects of the Great Barrier Reef against a backdrop of climate change and scientists said UNESCO may reconsider its decision not to put the World Heritage Site on its endangered list. “Australia argued that the world heritage values were in tact because of the northern region and now of course it has taken a huge hit,” said Professor Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland state.

    UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee last May stopped short of placing the Great Barrier Reef on an “in danger” list, but the ruling raised concern about its future. Australian scientists said in March that just 7 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef had avoided any damage as a result of bleaching, and they held grave fears particularly for coral on the northern reef. After further aerial surveys and dives to access the damage across 84 reefs in the region, Australian scientists said the impact of the bleaching is more severe than expected. “This year is the third time in 18 years that the Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass bleaching due to global warming, and the current event is much more extreme than we’ve measured before,” said Hughes.


    Dead coral in shallow waters at Cygnet Bay in Western Australia.

    The findings would have been worse had Cyclone Winston, which hit the reef in January, not bought cooler conditions across the central and southern reefs, the scientists said. Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. Mildly bleached coral can recover if the temperature drops, otherwise it may die. Although the impact has been exacerbated by one of the strongest El Nino weather systems in nearly 20 years, which raised sea temperatures in the western Pacific, scientists believe climate change is the underlying cause.

    The bleaching survey findings come just days after Australia’s Department of Environment confirmed it omitted its contribution to a U.N. report examining the impact of climate change on world heritage sites over concerns it could create “confusion” and have a negative impact on tourism. Australia is one of the largest carbon emitters per capita because of its reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity. Climate scientists argue that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth, creating global warming.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...7/?cmpid=rss1#

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    60% coral bleaching in the Maldives due to global warming...

    'Alarming' bleaching of Maldives corals: Conservationists
    Tuesday 9th August, 2016: Coral reefs in the Maldives are under severe stress after suffering mass bleaching this year as sea temperatures soared, a top conservationist body warned Monday (Aug 8).
    Around 60 per cent of Maldives' coral colonies have been bleached, with the figure reaching 90 per cent in some areas, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said in a statement. It cited data from a survey it carried out with the Maldives Marine Research Center (MRC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "Preliminary findings of the extent of the bleaching are alarming, with initial coral mortality already observed," said Ameer Abdulla, the research team leader and senior advisor to IUCN on marine biodiversity and conservation science. "We are expecting this mortality to increase if bleached corals are unable to recover."

    Bleaching occurs when abnormal conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae and thus become drained of colour. Bleached corals risk dying if conditions do not return to normal. Land and ocean surface temperatures rose to record highs in 2015 and at the beginning of this year, according to scientists. The surge has coincided with an exceptionally strong El Nino - a cyclical phenomenon that disrupts weather around the Pacific and is driven by sea temperature.

    'MORE FREQUENT, MORE SEVERE'

    Warmer seas are a main culprit for the decline of coral reefs - considered among the most diverse and delicate ecosystems on the planet. "Bleaching events are becoming more frequent and more severe due to global climate change," Abdulla said. Coral reef and bleaching experts from 11 countries and international institutions and universities helped conduct the survey at the height of the 2016 El Nino event, the statement said. The Maldives, a nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands, contain around three percent of global coral reefs. It is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of climate change since its average land height is only 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) above sea level. The Maldives is not the only place where coral reefs are threatened. Reefs worldwide have been facing widespread bleaching since mid-2014, according to the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

    And this year, Australia's 2,300-kilometre (1,429-mile) long Great Barrier Reef the world's biggest coral ecosystem -- is suffering from its worst bleaching in recorded history. In a bid to rein in the problem at home, the Maldives government has created a national task force and a monitoring programme, in cooperation with the EPA and IUCN. The programme aims to help marine biologists, divers and others to contribute data that could help understand the national effects of the global bleaching event. Activities such as dredging, sand replenishment, and fishing or purchasing of herbivorous fish like parrotfish and surgeonfish, which are essential for reef recovery, are also discouraged, according to the programme.

    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...f/3024986.html

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    Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016... Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds Mon, 28 Nov 2016 - This year saw the worst-ever destruction of coral on the Great Barrier Reef, a new study finds.
    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. The study also found that the coral which survived the bleaching have now come under greater threat from predators such as snails and crown of thorns starfish. This year's mass bleaching was the worst-ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef, following two previous events in 1998 and 2002.
    Scientists assess coral mortality on Zenith Reef following the bleaching event, Northern Great Barrier Reef
    Professor Hughes is certain that the increased water temperature is the result of carbon emissions, and warns that climate change could bring annual bleaching within 20 years. "Most of the losses in 2016 have occurred in the northern, most pristine part of the Great Barrier Reef," he said. "This region escaped with minor damage in two earlier bleaching events in 1998 and 2002, but this time around it has been badly affected." Where is the damage? One of the worst-hit areas is around Lizard Island in Far North Queensland, where around 90% of the coral has died. Dr Andrew Hoey, whose team charted the area, said the impact was far worse than feared after an initial survey in April. "It's devastating to get in the water somewhere you've been coming for almost 20 years, and it's just knocked it on its head," he said. "There's very little coral cover left there. It was dominated by the acropora - the branching corals - but we lost most of them." Lizard Island is home to a research station, where scientists from across the world have come for decades to study marine life One of its directors, Dr Anne Hogget, said this was by far the worst event to hit the Great Barrier Reef since she started working there in 1990. "We had bleaching here in 2002," she said. "We thought this was bad at the time, but this has blown it completely out of the water." She is hopeful that the reef is capable of recovery, but fears it may not be give an opportunity, as sea temperatures continue to rise. "The trajectory is not good," Dr Hogget explained. "We keep pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and this happened absolutely because of that." What happens next?

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    Savin' the Great Barrier Reef gonna cost billions... Australia to Spend Billions to Save Great Barrier Reef December 02, 2016 — Australia will spend $1.3 billion ($965.3 million U.S.) in the next five years to improve the water quality and well-being of the Great Barrier Reef to keep the World Heritage Site from being placed on the United Nation’s “in danger” list.
    But activists say the money, in addition to the $1 billion fund announced earlier, is insufficient and want the government to take more concrete action to protect the reef. A negative rating for the Great Barrier Reef, located off the country’s northeast coast, would be embarrassing for the Australian government and damage its lucrative tourism industry. Reef nears 'in danger' label In the first progress report to the UN’s scientific arm, UNESCO, after it stopped short earlier this year of listing the reef as “in danger,” Australia said it would spend $1.3 billion improving the world’s largest living ecosystem. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had pledged a $1 billion fund for the Great Barrier Reef in June. Much of the accelerated spending will address water quality and ecosystem health, Australia said in the UNESCO report, including programs to minimize spillage of chemicals from farming and tightening oversight of connected waterways. “This report will hopefully see Australia stay off the UNESCO in danger watch list,” said Josh Frydenberg, Australia’s minister for the environment and energy.
    Australian Senator Pauline Hanson listens to marine scientist Alison Jones (left) as she displays a piece of coral on the Great Barrier Reef off Great Keppel Island, Queensland, Australia, Nov. 25, 2016. Australian scientists say warming oceans year 2016 have caused the biggest die-off of corals ever recorded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
    Environmental groups, which believe the reef needs more investment than the government has committed to, criticized the progress report, coming just days after confirmation of significant damage. “It is unacceptable that this government is now congratulating itself over its handling of the reef’s health during that same period without promising any meaningful improvement,” said Shani Tager, reef campaigner, Greenpeace Australia. Biggest die-off Earlier this week, Australian scientists said two-thirds of a 700 km (435 miles) stretch of coral within the Great Barrier Reef has been killed in the past nine months, the worst die-off ever recorded on the World Heritage site. Their finding of the die-off in the reef’s north is a major blow for tourism at the reef which, according to a 2013 Deloitte Access Economics report, attracts about $5.2 billion ($3.9 billion U.S.) in spending each year. Climate scientists argue that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat radiating from earth, creating global warming and damaging coral. Australia is one of the largest carbon emitters per capita because of its reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity. http://www.voanews.com/a/australia-b...f/3620181.html
    See also: Scientists record biggest ever coral die-off on Australia's Great Barrier Reef November 29, 2016 - Warm seas around Australia's Great Barrier Reef have killed two-thirds of a 700-km (435 miles) stretch of coral in the past nine months, the worst die-off ever recorded on the World Heritage site, scientists who surveyed the reef said on Tuesday.
    Their finding of the die-off in the reef's north is a major blow for tourism at reef which, according to a 2013 Deloitte Access Economics report, attracts about A$5.2 billion ($3.9 billion) in spending each year. "The coral is essentially cooked," professor Andrew Baird, a researcher at James Cook University who was part of the reef surveys, told Reuters by telephone from Townsville in Australia's tropical north. He said the die-off was "almost certainly" the largest ever recorded anywhere because of the size of the Barrier Reef, which at 348,000 sq km (134,400 sq miles) is the biggest coral reef in the world. Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm, forcing coral to expel living algae and causing it to calcify and turn white. Mildly bleached coral can recover if the temperature drops and the survey found this occurred in southern parts of the reef, where coral mortality was much lower. While bleaching occurs naturally, scientists are concerned that rising sea temperatures caused by global warming magnifies the damage, leaving sensitive underwater ecosystems unable to recover. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee stopped short of placing the Great Barrier Reef on an "in danger" list last May but asked the Australian government for an update on its progress in safeguarding the reef. Australia will lodge that update on Friday, said a spokesman for Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg. In June, during an election campaign, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull promised A$1 billion in spending to protect the reef. Climate scientists argue that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat radiating from earth, creating global warming. Australia is one of the largest carbon emitters per capita because of its reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity. "Climate change is killing the Great Barrier Reef," said environmentalist Charlie Wood, director of 350.org, an anti-fossil fuels movement. "The continued mining and burning of coal, oil and gas is irreparably damaging the climate. If we want our kids to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef for generations to come, we must act now to keep fossil fuels in the ground," Wood said in an emailed statement. https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientist...16.html?ref=gs

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    Warming sea temperatures still bleaching Australia’s Great Barrier Reef...

    Great Barrier Reef experiences second year of bleaching
    Sat, Mar 11, 2017 - Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing an unprecedented second straight year of mass coral bleaching, scientists said yesterday, warning many species would struggle to fully recover. The 2,300km reef last year suffered its most severe bleaching on record due to warming sea temperatures in March and April.
    Bleaching is once again occurring, the government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said after an aerial survey off Australia’s eastern coast on Thursday. “Regrettably, the temperatures have been high on the Great Barrier Reef this summer as well, and unfortunately [we] are here to confirm ... a mass coral bleaching event for the second consecutive year,” agency reef recovery director David Wachenfeld said in a video on Facebook. “And importantly, this is the first time we’ve ever seen the Great Barrier Reef bleached two years in sequence. We’ve seen heat stress build since December.” The agency said more bleaching was being observed in the central part of the reef, which last year escaped widespread severe bleaching.

    Last year’s bleaching was more severe in the northern areas of the biodiverse site. The back-to-back occurrence of widespread bleaching also meant there was insufficient time for corals to fully recover, the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s Neal Cantin said. “We are seeing a decrease in the stress tolerance of these corals,” Cantin added in a statement. “This is the first time the Great Barrier Reef has not had a few years between bleaching events to recover.” “Many coral species appear to be more susceptible to bleaching after more than 12 months of sustained above-average ocean temperatures,” he added.


    A handout photograph made available by WWF-Australia yesterday shows the Great Barrier Reef experiencing mass coral bleaching for the second year in a row near Cairns, Australia

    Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their color. Corals can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae are able to recolonize them. However, researchers in January said coral reefs that survive rapid bleaching fueled by global warming would remain deeply damaged with little prospect of full recovery. The Great Barrier Reef escaped with minor damage after two other bleaching events in 1998 and 2002.

    Conservation group WWF-Australia yesterday said that the latest bleaching increased the urgency of tackling climate change in Australia, one of the world’s worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters. “I did not anticipate back-to-back bleaching this decade,” WWF-Australia oceans division head Richard Leck said. “Scientists warned that without sufficient emissions reductions we could expect annual mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef by 2050. Consecutive bleaching events have arrived 30 years early.”

    http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worl.../11/2003666568

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