RP:: Half of our planet's coral reefs

[Bo-4]

Whether you believe in manmade climate change or not - we ALL need to be concerned and take corrective measures PRONTO


By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

SOUTH ARI ATOLL, Maldives (AP) — There were startling colors here just a year ago, a dazzling array of life beneath the waves. Now this Maldivian reef is dead, killed by the stress of rising ocean temperatures. What's left is a haunting expanse of gray, a scene repeated in reefs across the globe in what has fast become a full-blown ecological catastrophe.

The world has lost roughly half its coral reefs in the last 30 years. Scientists are now scrambling to ensure that at least a fraction of these unique ecosystems survives beyond the next three decades. The health of the planet depends on it: Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine species, as well as half a billion people around the world.

"This isn't something that's going to happen 100 years from now. We're losing them right now," said marine biologist Julia Baum of Canada's University of Victoria. "We're losing them really quickly, much more quickly than I think any of us ever could have imagined."

Even if the world could halt global warming now, scientists still expect that more than 90 percent of corals will die by 2050. Without drastic intervention, we risk losing them all.

"To lose coral reefs is to fundamentally undermine the health of a very large proportion of the human race," said Ruth Gates, director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

Coral reefs produce some of the oxygen we breathe. Often described as underwater rainforests, they populate a tiny fraction of the ocean but provide habitats for one in four marine species. Reefs also form crucial barriers protecting coastlines from the full force of storms.

They provide billions of dollars in revenue from tourism, fishing and other commerce, and are used in medical research for cures to diseases including cancer, arthritis and bacterial or viral infections.


MOAR:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b32b7...ds-coral-reefs

[exotix]

Sad.

[Peter1469]

That is an important environmental issue, and one we can do something about. All of the chemical run off from commercial / factory farming is a main culprit in damage to the oceans.

[Bo-4]

Sad.

Yep - Little Scotty will finish THAT job.

[Common]

Theyve been working on Coral Reef degradation for a long time.

[Bo-4]

Theyve been working on Coral Reef degradation for a long time.

They're losing the battle - 30 years and 90% of them will be gone.

Maybe faster if we're unfortunate enough to get 8 years of T-Rump

[Tahuyaman]

That is an important environmental issue, and one we can do something about. All of the chemical run off from commercial / factory farming is a main culprit in damage to the oceans.

It's not an issue of man made global warming / climate change.

[Peter1469]

It's not an issue of man made global warming / climate change.

Correct.

[Bo-4]

Scientist: "In the north, i saw hundreds of reefs - literally 2/3 were either dead or dying"

Sad

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/s...ge-dieoff.html

[waltky]

Granny wonderin' if he any kin to Lou Asner?...

China's militarization in South China Sea harms reefs, U.S. scientist says
March 30, 2017 -- China's reclamation and military buildup on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is doing lasting damage to the ecosystem, and coral reef cover has declined by more than half as a result of activities.

According to Greg Asner, an ecologist with the Carnegie Institution for Science, research shows reef harboring military bases were destroyed as atolls were dredged and converted. "We compared the proportion of coral reef on occupied atolls to unoccupied ones, and our research, published this month, found up to a 70 percent reduction in reef cover on those harboring military bases," Asner writes. There are now 15 military bases in the island chain and their presence is posing a threat to the atolls and reefs in the sea that support 600 coral species and 6,000 types of fish, according to the U.S. scientist.

Reef fish for sale in Hong Kong to supply the local pet trade. China’s militarization of South China Sea islands is doing irreversible damage to coral reef ecosystems.

Asner also said China has been doing the most damage. Other island claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines, have taken turns dredging about 100 acres over four decades, but Beijing has reclaimed 3,000 acres since 2014. Asner said he and his colleague conducted underwater surveys and satellite imagery analysis to conclude the activities on the Spratly Islands have done damage, and that "millions of colorful life forms have been wiped off the planet."

China has defended its decision to militarize the islands. In May 2015, China identified issues including "hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism," as reasons for the buildup. The activities would "safeguard" Chinese interests, the military has said. In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping said "an impregnable wall for border and ocean defense" was of the highest priority.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-Ne...&utm_medium=13