[Coral-List] Will the reefs die completely??

[Todd Barber]

There are acropora species that can survive very warm waters (off
Kuwait).  At some point, man will have to start "bioengineering"
corals that can adapt to future water conditions associated with
global climate change (unless we can stop the change which seems
unlikely for now anyway).

Our foundation has already began the process to asexually reproduce
and propagate coral that is better suited to pollution.....wonder if
we should start working on acidified water and warmer water?

Thanks,

Todd R Barber
Chairman, Reef Ball Foundation
609 PORTIA N ST, NOKOMIS, FL 34275

941-484-7482 (Direct)
941-720-7549 (Cell & Goggle Voice)
toddbarber Skype

www,reefball.org (Reef Ball Foundation)
www.artificialreefs.org (Designed Artificial Reefs)
www.reefbeach.com (Reefs for Beach Erosion)
www.eternalreefs.com (Memorial Reefs)
www.reefball.com (Reef Ball Foundation)


On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 5:53 PM, Douglas Fenner
<douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:
> Listers,
>     There is a new 8 minute video on the web in which Prof. Terry Hughes
> says that in the future there will be winners as well as losers as higher
> temperatures produces bleaching that kills some corals.  He says Acropora
> may be killed quickly, but Porites is tough and will survive.  "if we can
> avoid dangerous climate change."  See what you think.
>
> http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3576802.htm
>
>
> The text is:
>
> *NARRATION*
> It was a major shift in the climate, the end of an ice age twelve thousand
> years ago that made the Great Barrier Reef possible. As temperatures
> warmed, melting glaciers transformed the continental shelf into a warm,
> shallow sea; conditions perfect for an explosion of life.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Ironically, it's now predicted that our changing climate could be the
> demise of the reef, but I'm on my way to meet a man with a more optimistic
> view.
>
> *NARRATION*
> >From up here you really appreciate Nature's handiwork, this maze of
> islands, coral caves and almost three thousand individual reefs, stretches
> for over two thousand kilometres; an expance so vast it can be seen from
> space.In the middle of it all is my destination, Lizard Island. It's a
> place Professor Terry Hughes knows well.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Hi Terry.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> G'day Ruben. How are you? Welcome to Lizard Island Research Station.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Thank you. What a magic day.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> Oh it's beautiful isn't it?
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Let's get out there.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> Yeah the wind's picking up so the sooner we go the better.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Okay.
>
> *NARRATION*
> Terry recently spearheaded the first large scale investigation into whether
> warmer waters really will spell the end for all coral species.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> We had a big wakeup call on the Barrier Reef in 1998 and again in 2002 when
> we had huge bleaching events that affected the Barrier Reef along its whole
> length and across its whole breadth. So I'm interested in how climate
> change and other human impacts on reefs are changing the species
> composition of coral reefs.
>
> *NARRATION*
> What we call coral are actually colonies of hundreds to hundreds of
> thousands of tiny creatures called polyps. Living in their tissue is
> photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which provide corals with
> essential nutrients and healthy colour. But when the water becomes too
> warm, the zooxanthellae are expelled, leaving the coral bleached.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> That was the first time we'd really seen bleaching at that scale. We were
> worried about the long term impact this will have on the reef because the
> world is getting warmer and warmer and the frequency and intensity of
> bleaching events is, is inevitably going to go up.
>
> *NARRATION*
> Water temperatures increase as you travel up the coast. The hottest
> temperature in the north of the reef is a full nine degrees warmer than the
> coolest temperature in the south. This gave scientists a unique opportunity.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> We were interested in how the mix of species might change along that huge
> thermal gradient and what that might tell us about the flexibility of
> corals, how they put themselves together to make an assemblage of species,
> how that might change in response to climate change and global warming.
>
> *NARRATION*
> Terry's team surveyed thirty three sites, spanning the entire reef,
> identifying over thirty five thousand individual coral colonies. The study
> has given us a more detailed understanding of the changes that will take
> place as the world's oceans gradually warm.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> The good news is complete reef wipe outs are unlikely. Coral reefs like
> this one will still be here in fifty years but they will be very different.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> The picture that's emerged over more recent studies is that bleaching is
> incredibly selective. It's actually acting like a giant filter in that it's
> changing the mix of species because some are much more susceptible to
> bleaching, others are much more resistant. There are winners and losers if
> you like.
>
> *NARRATION*
> All it takes is for water temperatures to rise just one or two degrees
> above the seasonal average for several weeks and susceptible species can
> bleach.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> What sort of coral's this guy?
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> This is a branching coral. It's called Acropora.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> In terms of climate change survivors, how do these fit in?
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> These guys generally speaking are among the most susceptible corals to
> bleaching. So these things live life in the fast lane. They recruit at a
> very high rate, they grow quickly and they die young.
> We found a huge flexibility in the mix of species from north to south and
> that gives us some optimism that when susceptible species, the losers if
> you like, decline, that they won't all decline at the same extent and in
> fact we might get some of the winner species actually increasing.
>
> *NARRATION*
> More robust corals can handle the rise of up to four degrees for a month or
> longer.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> Often, one of the last corals are left on the degraded reef is this
> particular species called porites.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> So these sorts of corals will be the winners in the future if the climate
> changes?
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> These are the toughest corals going.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Right.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> This thing is two hundred years old at least.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Amazing.
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> So yes they're withholding, they're standing their ground. They are the
> winners in the future.
>
> *NARRATION*
> So while there is a future for the hardier species, it's not such good news
> for the fish that depend on the more delicate branching and table corals
> for habitat.
>
> *Ruben Meerman*
> Once we lose all those really lovely three dimensional corals, what does
> that mean for the critters that live on the reef?
>
> *Prof Terry Hughes*
> Well there are lots of species that depend on corals for protection from
> predators. There's a small number of fish species that actually eat corals.
> When corals become scarcer, those species will become less and less
> abundant. It's a very dynamic system and climate change is changing the
> whole way that reefs function.
> I don't agree with statements that the Great Barrier Reef will all be dead
> in twenty years time. It will be very different from today's mix of species
> but I'm reasonably optimistic that if we can avoid dangerous climate
> change, we'll still have a Great Barrier Reef.
>  Topics:
>  Environment<http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/by-topic/ENVIRONMENT.htm>
>
>    - Reporter: Ruben Meerman
>    - Producer: Roslyn Lawrence
>    - Researcher: Roslyn Lawrence
>    - Camera: Brett Ramsay
>    David Parer
>    - Sound: Paul Castellaro
>    - Editor: Andrew Glover
>    Toby Trappel
>
>
>
> --
> Dept. Marine & Wildlife Resources, American Samoan Government
> PO Box 7390
> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA
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