[Coral-List] Fwd: Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been greatly, exaggerated??

Tue Nov 1 10:34:14 EDT 2016

For Coral-listers interested in this thread,

Lauren Toth and I recently published a review paper on this very subject.
Please see:

Kuffner, I. B., and L. T. Toth. 2016. A geological perspective on the
degradation and conservation of western Atlantic coral reefs. Conservation
Biology 30:706-715.
Available open-access at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12725/abstract

Abstract:
Continuing coral-reef degradation in the western Atlantic is resulting in
loss of ecological and geologic functions of reefs. With the goal of
assisting resource managers and stewards of reefs in setting and measuring
progress toward realistic goals for coral-reef conservation and
restoration, we examined reef degradation in this region from a geological
perspective. The importance of ecosystem services provided by coral
reefs—as breakwaters that dissipate wave energy and protect shorelines and
as providers of habitat for innumerable species—cannot be overstated.
However, the few coral species responsible for reef building in the western
Atlantic during the last approximately 1.5 million years are not thriving
in the 21st century. These species are highly sensitive to abrupt
temperature extremes, prone to disease infection, and have low sexual
reproductive potential. Their vulnerability and the low functional
redundancy of branching corals have led to the low resilience of western
Atlantic reef ecosystems. The decrease in live coral cover over the last 50
years highlights the need for study of relict (senescent) reefs, which,
from the perspective of coastline protection and habitat structure, may be
just as important to conserve as the living coral veneer. Research is
needed to characterize the geological processes of bioerosion, reef
cementation, and sediment transport as they relate to modern-day changes in
reef elevation. For example, although parrotfish remove nuisance
macroalgae, possibly promoting coral recruitment, they will not save
Atlantic reefs from geological degradation. In fact, these fish are quickly
nibbling away significant quantities of Holocene reef framework. The
question of how different biota covering dead reefs affect framework
resistance to biological and physical erosion needs to be addressed.
Monitoring and managing reefs with respect to physical resilience, in
addition to ecological resilience, could optimize the expenditure of
resources in conserving Atlantic reefs and the services they provide.

Cheers, Ilsa

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Ph.D.
U.S. Geological Survey
St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Email: ikuffner at usgs.gov
Tel: (727) 502-8048
Fax: (727) 502-8001
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/
https://profile.usgs.gov/ikuffner
---------------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 2:33 AM, Douglas Fenner <
douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm just trying to distinguish between the geological formation, that is
> the calcium carbonate buildup of coral reefs, and the biological/ecological
> community of living organisms that we call a coral reef ecosystem, and
> point out they are two different things, which aren't distinguished when we
> say "coral reef."  I'm suggesting we distinguish them in our writings and
> speech.
> Cheers,  Doug
>
> On Sun, Oct 30, 2016 at 2:39 PM, Vassil Zlatarski <vzlatarski at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Doug,
> >
> > I find myself still wondering what is the geological meaning of your
> > "geological coral reef" and why such worded term has to be used for all
> > coral reefs (living, dead and fossil).  Actually you referrer to frame
> and
> > carcass as geomorphological characteristic.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Vassil
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: Douglas Fenner <douglasfennertassi at gmail.com>
> > Date: Sun, Oct 30, 2016 at 9:02 PM
> > Subject: Fwd: [Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been
> > greatly, exaggerated??
> > To: Vassil Zlatarski <vzlatarski at gmail.com>, coral list <
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >
> >
> > Vassil,
> >     Good point.  I was referring to a (more or less) solid carbonate
> > structure, built by coral reef organisms, independent of whether it has
> > living corals on it or not, or whether it was under water or not, or
> > whether it was old enough to be called a fossil reef or not.  I was
> trying
> > to make the point that the carbonate structure and the living ecosystem
> on
> > it are two very different (though interrelated) things, and we (myself
> > included) often use terms like "coral reef" which don't distinguish which
> > we are talking about, and I think we would do well to make that clear
> which
> > one we are talking about each time we refer to them.  In some places one
> > exists without the other, the processes involved in producing or
> destroying
> > them are very different, and the time scales involved are very different,
> > much shorter for the ecosystem than for the geological structure.
> >  Cheers, Doug
> >
> > On Sun, Oct 30, 2016 at 8:58 AM, Vassil Zlatarski <vzlatarski at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hi Doug,
> > >
> > > Frequently used terms are: "reef", "coral reef/ecosystem", "living
> coral
> > > reef/ecosystem", "dead coral reef/ecosystem", "fossil coral
> > > reef/ecosystem".  What is the geological meaning of "geological coral
> > > reefs" used in your posting.
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >
> > > Vassil
> > >
> > > Vassil Zlatarski
> > > D.Sc. (Biology), Ph.D. (Geology)
> > >
> > >
> > >
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Douglas Fenner
> Contractor for NOAA NMFS, and consultant
> "have regulator, will travel"
> PO Box 7390
> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA
>
> phone 1 684 622-7084
>
> Join the International Society for Reef Studies.  Membership includes a
> subscription to the journal Coral Reefs, and there are discounts for pdf
> subscriptions and developing countries.  Coral Reefs is the only journal
> that is ALL coral reef articles, and it has amazingly LOW prices compared
> to other journals.  Check it out!  www.fit.edu/isrs/
>
> "Belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."- Jim Beever..
>   "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts."-
> Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
>
> Countries reach landmark deal to limit global warming
> http://fortune.com/2016/10/16/global-warming-hfcs-deal/
>
> Policy: hasten the end of dated fossil-fuel subsidies
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7624/full/
> 538171c.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20161013&spMailingID=52515861&
> spUserID=MjA1NTA3MjA0OQS2&spJobID=1022286029&spReportId=MTAyMjI4NjAyOQS2
>
> website:  http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
>
> blog: http://ocean.si.edu/blog/reefs-american-samoa-story-hope
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