[Coral-List] Vanishing Corals
Esti Winter
esti.winter at gmail.com
Mon Jul 10 05:32:59 UTC 2023
Phillip and all
I couldn’t agree more…it is unfortunate that we are still stuck in the
“let’s describe the problem” phase and are not providing enough
solutions…particularly solutions that are attainable…at individual,
community, national and international levels…for example really curbing
fossil fuel use and transport…Here in the Red Sea Gulf of Aqaba we are
actually seeing an increase in oil transport literally on top of our
precious reefs! This is something tangible that we as a scientific
community can actually stop!
It is about time that we as scientists make our voices heard and provide
solutions!
Esti
On Mon, 10 Jul 2023 at 7:31 Phillip Dustan via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
On Mon, 10 Jul 2023 at 7:31 Phillip Dustan via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
--
Dr. E. Kramarsky-Winter
Dept of Biotechnology Engineering
Ben Gurion University
Beer Sheva Israel
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