[Coral-List] Vanishing Corals

[Phillip Dustan]

Vassil,
 Thanks for sharing NASA's  latest version of a story that began to be told
by science in the 1980's.  Before that, we thought reefs were Robust, they
could survive shipwrecks, hurricanes and even the ice age! The scientific
coral community was in denial then the realization began to change in
the 1980's but the dive industry was just beginning to boom in the Florida
Keys; divers were "dollars". Then the Keys reefs began to die with the rest
of the Caribbean following. So  DIVE TOURISM expanded into Asia. Again,
dollars not divers fueled a blossoming Blue Economy.  Global Warming began
to rear its head and it became a foil for the destruction, rather than
being recognized for the problem it has become. All the while, the 3 to 4
BINGOs began to hype the Precautionary Principle while they were
transitioning into large corporations inventing ways for developing nations
to harvest Blue Dollars. All the while, we scientists were hoping that the
Bingos and the Dive Community would respond to the knowledge that science
was putting on their loading dock of knowledge (creating awareness was what
it was called). Monitoring was supposed to "fix the problem" when in fact
it simply describes the problems. Monitoring programs present the illusion
to the public that things are going to be OK- "We got this covered".
However, the results require ACTIONS to deal with the problem(s).
I love NASA and have the greatest respect for remote sensing. They have
retold " the reef story" simply and beautifully, but unless the political
will exists to act, new ways to monitor, assimilate, and synthesize data
will be useless. Coral reefs are being treated like biofactories
that supply humans with wondrous treats for free when in fact they are
ecological processes. Reefs are the highest expression of life in the ocean
- maybe the planet. Coral Reefs exist to exist  through  Evolution by
Natural Selection,  just like life itself. Reefs provide all sorts of
ecological and economic goods and services to humans but I feel
their destruction is providing a more important message and we are not
listening.
The oceans are "on fire" right now. Expect more sad and tragic news stories
that highlight the fragility of reefs later this summer. Raising awareness
is great but will not alter the ecological trajectory unless someone cares
enough to defuse this ticking time bomb 8+ billion people are building.
Phil

On Sun, Jul 9, 2023 at 8:47 AM Vassil Zlatarski via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Hope of interest:
>
>
> https://climate.nasa.gov/explore/ask-nasa-climate/3273/vanishing-corals-nasa-data-helps-track-coral-reefs/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=monthly+newsletter
>
> Cheers,
>
> Vassil
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>


-- 



Phillip Dustan PhD
Charleston SC  29424
843-953-8086 office
843-224-3321 (mobile)

"When we try to pick out anything by itself
we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. "
*                                         John Muir 1869*

*A Swim Through TIme on Carysfort Reef*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPJE7UE6sA
*Raja Ampat Sustainability Project video*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RR2SazW_VY&fbclid=IwAR09oZkEk8wQkK6LN3XzVGPgAWSujACyUfe2Ist__nYxRRSkDE_jAYqkJ7A
*Bali Coral Bleaching 2016 video*

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo>*
TEDx Charleston on saving coral reefs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwENBNrfKj4
Google Scholar Citations:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HCwfXZ0AAAAJ