[Coral-List] reply to the role of crustose coralline algae on reefs

Walter Goldberg goldberg at fiu.edu
Tue May 3 17:27:44 EDT 2011


Mon, 2 May 2011 13:14:45 -0400
 "Derek Manzello" <dmanzello at rsmas.miami.edu> wrote:

CCAs are important to reef dynamics for a variety of reasons, but they
do not significantly contribute to the calcium carbonate budget of the
vast majority of coral reefs, nor do they 'cement' reefs, as has been a
popular misconception for years.

Much of what Derek states about the historical contributions of coralline algae may be deduced from the Holocene core data analyzed by Macintyre's 1997 paper. However, it is quite an overreach to suggest that they contribute insignificantly to the vast majority of modern coral reefs. A few examples to the contrary and the literature to support them follow (full citations available on request):

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) function as frame builders, especially in shallow, wave-swept environments where they may cover 90-100% of the surface (Cloud, 1952; Adey, 1978,1998). They may also grow to well over a meter thick (Steneck et al., 1996), although they are often thinner caps that form over storm rubble. They are the dominant organisms on the surface of several  reef systems including Atol das Rocas and the Abrolhos Bank in Brazil (Kikuchi and Leao, 1997; Figueriedo, 1997), algal cup reefs of Bermuda (Ginsburg and Shroeder, 1973), as well as on several deep-water reef reefs (Dullo, 1990; Minnery, 1990). The role or coralline algae as cementing agents is supported by several studies (reviewed by Rasser and Riegl, 2002), although diagenetic cementation may be generally more significant in this function. Growth rates  can vary from 0.03- 22 mm.yr, depending on environmental conditions (Matsuta, 1989) but higher growth implies carbonate contribution. On Oahu for example, CCAs can account for 2.6-20 kg carbonate.m2.yr (Harney and Fletcher, 2003). Conclusion: The roles of CCA on reefs are neither misconceived nor insignificant.
 
Walter M. Goldberg, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
Florida International University
University Park Campus
Miami, FL 33199
email goldberg at fiu.edu
________________________________________
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml..noaa.gov] on behalf of coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 8:12 AM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 33, Issue 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 13:14:45 -0400
From: "Derek Manzello" <dmanzello at rsmas.miami.edu>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral species list for Mesoamerican Barrier
        Reef System
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID:
        <727db3357df268a579dbc8185d934978.squirrel at webmail.rsmas.miami.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1

Hello Doug and coral-list,

Thanks for the helpful information.  However, I found one statement in
your message inaccurate.

The statement I refer to is this: "That said, most reefs are not just
coral reefs, they are coralgal reefs or even algal coral reefs, with
coralline algae and other calcareous algae contributing as much or more
calcium buildup than the corals."

This is a popular quip among certain reef ecologists that is not
supported by any hard data, other than some very rare and extreme
cases.  I felt it was necessary to respond to this because this
misconception seems to be popping up everywhere and I think we need to
remind ourselves that this was already debated and pretty much resolved
a while back.  In fact, there was an entire session during the 8th
International Coral Reef Symposium entitled "Are calcareous algae
important to reefs today or in the past?"

In the session summary, Steneck and Testa state: "?Calcareous algae have
long been assumed to be important and perhaps even necessary for reef
development. If so, one might expect to find the rates of reef growth
(or accumulation) correlating with the abundance of calcareous algae.
Macintyre (1997) reviewed the association of coralline algae and reef
development by reviewing  non-algal ridge reefs and 5 algal ridge reefs
that have been drilled all over the world. Macintyre made the simple but
profound point that most of the worlds fastest growing coral reefs were
relatively devoid of coralline algae during that period of rapid
growth?.. Coral reefs do not require corallines or any calcareous algae
for their formation. Internal strength of reefs is primarily augmented
by submarine lithification and not by coralline algal cementation as has
often been asserted.?

CCAs are important to reef dynamics for a variety of reasons, but they
do not significantly contribute to the calcium carbonate budget of the
vast majority of coral reefs, nor do they 'cement' reefs, as has been a
popular misconception for years.  For further information on this topic,
I refer the list to the important papers within this session (all freely
available online at reefbase), that are all too often overlooked.  The
specific papers referred to here are referenced below.

With regards,
Derek Manzello


REFS
Macintyre IG (1997) Reevaluating the role of crustose coralline algae in
the construction of coral reefs. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:725-730

Steneck RS, Testa V (1997) Are calcareous algae important to reefs today
or in the past? Symposium summary. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:685-688.


On 4/21/2011 4:41 PM, Douglas Fenner wrote:
> >      Almost all reef-building coral species in the Caribbean have ranges
> > throughout the Caribbean, since the Caribbean is a relatively small
body of
> > water (compared to the Indo-Pacific, for instance).  Most all of  the
species
> > have already been found in places like Belize, Cozumel,  Akumal,
Cancun area,
> > and so on, and some of the others may be there but  just haven't been
found
> > there yet.  There are a very few which have not  been found in the NW
or W
> > Caribbean at all, and might (might) not be  there (to prove they are
not there
> > is like trying to prove the null  hypothesis).  One that is pretty
sure not to
> > be there is Millepora  squarrosa.  It is only known from the southeast
> > Caribbean, and reports  elsewhere are likely all errors.  Millepora
complanata
> > can look a bit like it, but if you look in the Humann book  you'll see M.
> > squarrosa is actually quite distinctive and easy to  recognize.  A second
> > species is Leptoseris cailleti, a small deep-water  species that is
rarely
> > reported anywhere.  Millepora striata is rarely  reported, but I
reported it
> > from Belize, so it is in the MesoAmerican  reef system.  There are a
few other
> > rarely reported or less well known  species that may or may not be
there, such
> > as Madracis senaria, Madracis  asperula, Madracis carambi and Porites
branneri.
> > The situation is  quite different with the azooxanthellate corals.
How many are
> > present  in an area is poorly known, probably because they are small and
> > cryptic,  but they may be patchy as well, since they typically live in
very
> > specific habitats like cavern roofs that are searched less often and
less
> > completely than open habitats.  Also, their identification is not a
trivial
> > matter for most  of us reef biologists, most require sending a sample
to the one
> > or two  people in the whole world who are experts on their taxonomy
(I'm not one
> > of them, Dr. Stephen Cairns at the Smithsonian is one, and can put you
in touch
> > with the others).
> >        For the zooxanthellate species, you can find range maps in
Veron (2000),
> > but it appears he fills in all the Caribbean for any species found
somewhere in
> > the Caribbean.  He's working on a much more detailed  database called
"Coral
> > Geographic."
> >
> >       To my way of thinking Belize has a true barrier reef, but the
rest of the
> > MesoAmerican reef system is not a barrier reef as far as I know, but
I'm no
> > expert on it.  A barrier reef has to have a significant lagoon between
it and
> > land, and my impression is outside Belize, reefs are pretty much
fringing.  I've
> > also heard of the Florida Keys reefs referred to as a barrier reef.  I
prefer
> > the older name, "Florida Reef Tract" since as far as I know it
consists of a
> > series of relatively small reefs with wide gaps between them, and more
> > continuous ridges of hard grounds that are not currently living coral
reefs and
> > don't get close to the surface.  Gene Shinn also tells me that the
Florida Keys
> > reefs have been called bank reefs.  That said, most reefs are not just
coral
> > reefs, they are coralgal reefs or even algal coral reefs, with
coralline algae
> > and other calcareous algae contributing as much or more calcium
buildup than the
> > corals.  Also, the Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef but a whole
series of
> > about two  thousand reefs, with gaps of various sizes (a maze that in
effect is
> > a barrier to  navigation unless you have GPS and a very good map
system and are
> > a good  navigator).  There is one section that is a nearly continuous
barrier,
> > the section called the "Ribbon Reefs."  I'd also remind people of the
barrier
> > reef in New Caledonia, which is like Belize and the Ribbon Reefs in
the GBR, a
> > nearly continuous barrier with some small gaps.  New Caledonia is said
to have
> > the longest continuous barrier reef in the world, and likely that is
not widely
> > known.  Anyhow, "MesoAmerican reef system"  sounds fine with me, as
does Belize
> > Barrier Reef, but adding barrier to  MesoAmerican does not, nor does
it for
> > Florida.  It seems like today  people think the word "barrier" adds
charisma, so
> > they want to call  their reef a barrier reef.  Fringing reef ought to
also have
> > some  charisma, think of the Ningaloo fringing reef in western Australia,
> > longest fringing reef in the world.  Not nearly as well known as the
GBR, but a
> > huge and amazing reef.  Think of Indonesia, which has more  coral
reefs than any
> > other country in the world (slightly more than  Australia), I bet most
of their
> > reefs are fringing.  Also among the most  diverse in the world, a true
world
> > treasure.  Fringing is good.        Doug
> >
> > Cheers,  Doug
> >
> > Fenner, D. 2001.  Biogeography of three Caribbeancorals (Scleractinia);
> > Tubastraea
> >
> >     coccineainvades the Gulf of Mexico.  Bulletin of Marine Science 69:
> > 1175-1189.
> >
> > Fenner, D.  1999.  New Observations on the Stony Coral Species
(Scleractinia,
> >     Milliporidae, Stylaseridae) of Belize(Central America) and
Cozumel(Mexico).
> >     Bulletin of Marine Science 64: 143-154.
> >
> > Fenner, D. P. 1993. Some reefs and corals of Roatan (Honduras), Cayman
Brac, and
> >     Little Cayman.  Atoll Research Bulletin 388: 1-30.
> > Weerdt, W. H.  de.  1990.  Discontinuous distribution of the tropical
west
> > Atlantic  hydrocoral Millepora squarrosa.  Beaufort. 41: 195-203.
> >
> > Douglas Fenner
> > Coral Reef Monitoring Ecologist
> > Dept Marine & Wildlife Resources
> > American Samoa
> >
> >
> > Mailing address:
> > PO Box 3730
> > Pago Pago, AS 96799
> > USA
> >
> >
> > work phone 684  633 4456
> >
> >
> > Sharply increased mass loss from glaciers and ice caps in the Canadian
Arctic
> > Archipelago
> >
> >
> > Between  the periods 2004?2006 and 2007?2009, the rate of mass loss
sharply
> > increased from 31 ? 8 Gt yr 1 to 92 ? 12 Gt yr 1 in direct response to
 warmer
> > summer temperatures, to which rates of ice loss are highly  sensitive
(64 ? 14
> > Gt yr 1 per 1 K increase).
> >
> > Gardner et al Nature
> > http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10089.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20110421
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Brittany Huntington <brittanyhuntington at gmail.com>
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml..noaa.gov
> > Sent: Thu, April 21, 2011 4:13:17 AM
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Coral species list for Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
System
> >
> > I am interested in determining the regional species pool for
scleractinian
> > corals within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.  Published reports
weigh
> > in around 60 species from what I have found but would appreciate any
leads
> > to a taxonomic list of coral species observed in the region.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Brittany Huntington
> >
> > Brittany Huntington
> > Doctoral Candidate
> > Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries
> > Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
> > University of Miami
> > 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
> > Miami, FL 33149
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list



--




------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 11:48:13 -0600
From: Belize Marine TREC <trec at hotmail.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] Stop Belize offshore drilling
To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID: <BAY163-w605EDB6870BD5A61971DA7CF9F0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


I would like to hear the thoughts of other coral list members concerning
Eugen Shinn's response to the danger of oil drilling along the second longest
barrier reef in the world.  Here are some of mine.
1. Thank you for forwarding the article on oil exploration in Florida.
2. I can't really say that I appreciate being referred to as "hysterical and emotional" -
lets keep your personal judgments out of it and stick to the facts.
3. Your work refers to exploration only - oil has been found inland in Belize making it
quite possible that it will be found off shore.  The impact of oil extraction and a possible oil
spill is not even touched upon and of course this is what we fear.
4. Your work looks at the impact on corals only.  I did not state that exploration would lead to an impact
that the reef would not recover from but rather that "Belize would not recover from".  Belize is a small country.
Its reputation in tourism would be seriously injured by an oil spill, to say nothing of the other habitats and communities of
organisms like mangroves.  We are presently being threatened will the loss of our United Nations World Heritage site designation.
5. The contracts for exploration have not been granted to stellar companies that take every possible precaution and have
impeccable safety records like "BP".  They have been granted to companies with no experience in oil exploration and no resources
to deal with a spill.  This is not the U.S.  We do not have the regulations to minimize the chance of oil spills.
6. I'm surprised you didn' say, "Drill, baby, Drill" - the recent outcry in the U.S. to decrease gas prices.  As has been proved in the
past -oil is a world wide commodity.  Increased domestic oil production does nothing to decrease the price.  It did nothing when
Belize struck oil on land either and we have seen this by experience.  It also did not produce many jobs since the drillers brought
people in from outside the country.
7.  Tourism and fishing make up a large percentage of our GDP.  Anyone who thinks an oil spill will not irreparably damage Belize does
not know this country.  I am surprised and saddened to find such an attitude on the Coral list.

Disappointed,
Dr. K.C. Mattes
www.BelizeMarineTREC.com

> From: coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 33, Issue 2
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 12:00:02 -0400
>
> Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Status of Bonaire coral reefs (Sander Scheffers)
> 2. Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier Reef.
> (Eugene Shinn)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 09:21:38 +1000
> From: Sander Scheffers <sander.scheffers at scu.edu.au>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Status of Bonaire coral reefs
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID: <97FA8D45-7412-4533-8AE8-A022E6E60D01 at scu.edu.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Dear colleagues,
> Following up on the IUCN report of the Bonaire Marine Park, I would like to draw your attention to a recently published article in Bulletin of Marine Science:
>
> "Coral community decline at Bonaire, Southern Caribbean"
>
> Website: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/pre-prints/8737;jsessionid=3qmvimw0g0nli.alice
>
> Abstract:
> We assessed the status of coral reef benthic communities at Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, in December 2008 and January 2009 through aprox 5 km of photo transects taken at depths of 5, 10, and 20 m at 14 locations around the island. Univariate and multivariate analyses detected significant variation in benthic communities among depths and locations, as well as between leeward and windward sides of the island. Mean percentage cover of scleractinian corals ranged between 0.2 percent and 43.6 percent at the study sites and tended to be lowest at 5-m depth. The survey recorded 40 scleractinian coral species from 19 genera, within 10 families. Faviidae were by far the most abundant scleractinian family at all depths (predominantly Montastraea spp.), followed by Agariciidae at 20 and 10 m, and by Astrocoeniidae at 5-m depth. Macroalgal cover exceeded scleractinian coral cover at nearly all sites, averaging 34.9 percent (all samples pooled), compared with a pooled mean coral cover
  o
> f 15.4 percent. Windward reefs were characterized by prolific growth of the brown algae Sargassum spp., and leeward reefs by growth of turf algae, Dictyota spp., Trichogloeopsis pedicellata (Howe) I. A. Abbott and Doty, and Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) Womersley ex Oliveira. Damage from recent hurricanes was evident from the presence of toppled and fragmented corals, the movement of sand, and exposure of cemented Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck, 1816) rubble on the shallow reef platform. The combination of algal dominance and low to moderate coral cover are symptomatic of partly degraded reef systems, particularly as they coincide with elevated nutrients and reduced herbivory.
>
> Regards,
> Sander
>
> Dr Sander Scheffers
>
> Lecturer & Senior Research Fellow Southern Cross University
> Honorary Research Fellow University of Queensland
> Deputy Director Southern Cross Marine Science,
> Associate Researcher Caribbean Research Institute for Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI), Cura?ao (Netherlands Antilles)
>
> Southern Cross University
> PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
> Email: sander.scheffers at scu.edu.au
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 13:18:16 -0400
>
From: Eugene Shinn <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier
> Reef.
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID: <a0623090bc9e345ca9402@[131.247.137.127]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
>
> "offshore drilling in Belize will lead to an environmental disaster
> from which Belize will never recover."
> Now that is as hysterical and emotional as it can get! It would be
> good to get your facts in order before making such knee-jerk
> reactions. Several wells have already been drilled along the Belize
> shelf during the 1960s and 1970s and there were no "disasters" other
> than the fact that they did not find any oil.
> It would be good to know if they (who ever they are) are planning
> deep water drilling or shallow water drilling as was done there in
> the past? It makes a big difference. Of course actual discovery of
> oil might have a large impact. It could bring big bucks and jobs to a
> relatively poor country and hopefully bring down the cost of fuel.
> You can be sure that no one is going to drill right on top of a coral
> reef. What does a gallon of gasoline costs in Belize? I assume it is
> all transported there in tankers which is well known to be the
> largest source of oil pollution in the oceans worldwide. Gene
> --
>
> --
>
>
> No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
> ------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
> E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
> University of South Florida
> Marine Science Center (room 204)
> 140 Seventh Avenue South
> St. Petersburg, FL 33701
> <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
> Tel 727 553-1158----------------------------------
> -----------------------------------
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 33, Issue 2
> *****************************************


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 15:05:50 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Coral-List] Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier
        Reef.
To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID:
        <7000167.1304363151215.JavaMail.root at wamui-haziran.atl.sa.earthlink..net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Although it may be hyperbolic to state categorically that offshore
drilling in Belize will lead to environmental disaster, this does not
justify refutation by applying similarly embellished distortions.

The economic impact of drilling operations as it would affect the local
community is hardly predictable and would have to be carefully weighed
against at least the potential for environmental degradation of Belize?s
valuable coral reef system. Somehow I doubt the assumption that an obvious
benefit would be reduced local fuel costs as world markets exert a more
pronounced effect. And, according to the Oil in the Sea study by the National
Academy of Sciences, oil tankers are not the largest source of oil pollution
in the world?s oceans. The study listed the following sources in order:
1. Natural seeps. 2. Consumption (runoff from cars is a major source.)
3. Transportation, which includes spills from tankers and pipelines as well as
intentional discharge from ships at sea.  4. Extraction, which includes spills
from offshore platforms and blowouts during efforts to explore for and produce
oil and gas. Not to mention that oil spills have an immediate effect on marine
life, which is often for the longer-term.

But then again, we can continue to ridicule those concerned with environmental
impact and simply continue to drill baby drill. No worries, everyone knows that
corals and other marine ecosystems have always been able to adapt.


Steve






------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 13:06:32 -0700
From: Greg Challenger <gchallenger at msn.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Help Ban Oil Exploration
To: <sealab at earthlink.net>, <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID: <BLU163-w65A613B01283CEBD8B1F3CB39F0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"



Steve:

Ill let Gene defend himself but here is my take.  Offshore drilling "may" lead to environmental disaster.   My reading of the post by Gene is that he felt the risks should be weighed against the potential upside before stating absolutes.  To me it was the comments "will lead to disaster" and "never recover" that deserve some discussion.   In my opinion, these sorts of statements dont do the environmental cause much good and only give ammunition to the opposition in that they can find evidence to easily refute the statements without getting to the heart of the matter...real risks to Belize corals and peoples.  Many areas with drilling have never experienced an environmental disaster.  The volumes of oil dumped and spilled in the sea in WWII outweigh all combined other anthropogenic point sources in the past century by quite a bit (see 2003 paper by Jacqui Michel from International Oil Spill Conference), and yet I dont believe it is possible to find a place that will "never rec
 over", unless an area continues to receive ongoing impacts that dont allow it to recover. I have seen some oil exploration areas that could conceivably fit this bill.   I didnt see any real embellished distortions other than getting the tanker thing wrong, which really isnt an embellished distortion at all relative to the issue at hand. While you are 100% correct that seeps are the biggest sources followed by land runoff, tankers are the largest anthropogenic point source  (i.e., disaster).   Since we are talking about risk of disaster from man's activities, then tankers and cargo vessels are indeed the number one cause since runoff and seeps arent typically considered part of a disaster scenario.  Oil spilled in the marine environment is a tragedy...it kills things....but a statement to the effect that drilling "will result in disaster" from which we can "never recover" deserves refutation.  As you can see, saying things like this takes people off track (as it did here) fro
 m the important issues like proper evaluation and careful consideration of the potential impacts, both environmental and economic.  That said, I understand that these comments can serve a purpose...we have to know where the left and right side of the road are located so we can safely drive down the middle.

I know people think Im a fan of fossil fuel because I have a financial interest in my clients' oil spills, but frankly I hope I never work on another oil spill the rest of my life (I do other stuff as well).

Best regards,


Greg E. Challenger
Marine Scientist/Principal
Polaris Applied Sciences, Incorporated
12525 131st Ct NE Kirkland, WA 98034
425-823-4841
425-823-3805 fx
206-369-5686 cell
visit us at: www.polarisappliedsciences.com





> Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 15:05:50 -0400
> From: sealab at earthlink.net
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: [Coral-List] Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier Reef...
>
> Although it may be hyperbolic to state categorically that offshore
> drilling in Belize will lead to environmental disaster, this does not
> justify refutation by applying similarly embellished distortions.
>
> The economic impact of drilling operations as it would affect the local
> community is hardly predictable and would have to be carefully weighed
> against at least the potential for environmental degradation of Belize?s
> valuable coral reef system. Somehow I doubt the assumption that an obvious
> benefit would be reduced local fuel costs as world markets exert a more
> pronounced effect. And, according to the Oil in the Sea study by the National
> Academy of Sciences, oil tankers are not the largest source of oil pollution
> in the world?s oceans. The study listed the following sources in order:
> 1. Natural seeps. 2. Consumption (runoff from cars is a major source.)
> 3. Transportation, which includes spills from tankers and pipelines as well as
> intentional discharge from ships at sea. 4. Extraction, which includes spills
> from offshore platforms and blowouts during efforts to explore for and produce
> oil and gas. Not to mention that oil spills have an immediate effect on marine
> life, which is often for the longer-term.
>
> But then again, we can continue to ridicule those concerned with environmental
> impact and simply continue to drill baby drill. No worries, everyone knows that
> corals and other marine ecosystems have always been able to adapt.
>
>
> Steve
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list


------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 17:08:07 -0500
From: Ed Blume <eblume2702 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Stop Belize offshore drilling
To: Belize Marine TREC <trec at hotmail.com>
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Message-ID: <BANLkTikutBQ8EbNowsGSiYEA1roNvp3jvw at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

With all due respect, Gene, I found a couple of your statements as over the
top as
you felt about the original post.

*You said:* Of course actual discovery of oil might have a large impact. It
could bring big bucks and jobs to a  relatively poor country and hopefully
bring down the cost of fuel.
*Response #1:*  Nigeria, an oil-rich poor country torn by violence.  It's
large oil resources have done little for the average person.  Belize could
follow that route, I'd suppose.
*Response #2:  **Confessions of an Economic Hit Man* by John Perkins.  He
explains how the U.S. uses various forms of economic aid to enslave
developing countries for the benefit of multinational corporations, not the
benefit of the average person.

*You said: *You can be sure that no one is going to drill right on top of a
coral
reef.
*Response: *We could be just as sure that cruise ship lines never dynamited
coral reefs to build docks.

I'd certainly raise big, bright-red flags over the possibility of oil
exploration leading to severe and unpleasant environmental and economic
consequences in Belize.  (I'm trying not to use the word disaster.)

Ed Blume
Not a scientist, but a bit of an energy geek
Madison, WI


> You can be sure that no one is going to drill right on top of a coral
> reef. What does a gallon of gasoline costs in Belize? I assume it is
> all transported there in tankers which is well known to be the
> largest source of oil pollution in the oceans worldwide.

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 12:48 PM, Belize Marine TREC <trec at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> I would like to hear the thoughts of other coral list members concerning
> Eugen Shinn's response to the danger of oil drilling along the second
> longest
> barrier reef in the world.  Here are some of mine.
> 1. Thank you for forwarding the article on oil exploration in Florida.
> 2. I can't really say that I appreciate being referred to as "hysterical
> and emotional" -
> lets keep your personal judgments out of it and stick to the facts.
> 3. Your work refers to exploration only - oil has been found inland in
> Belize making it
> quite possible that it will be found off shore.  The impact of oil
> extraction and a possible oil
> spill is not even touched upon and of course this is what we fear.
> 4. Your work looks at the impact on corals only.  I did not state that
> exploration would lead to an impact
> that the reef would not recover from but rather that "Belize would not
> recover from".  Belize is a small country.
> Its reputation in tourism would be seriously injured by an oil spill, to
> say nothing of the other habitats and communities of
> organisms like mangroves.  We are presently being threatened will the loss
> of our United Nations World Heritage site designation.
> 5. The contracts for exploration have not been granted to stellar companies
> that take every possible precaution and have
> impeccable safety records like "BP".  They have been granted to companies
> with no experience in oil exploration and no resources
> to deal with a spill.  This is not the U.S.  We do not have the regulations
> to minimize the chance of oil spills.
> 6. I'm surprised you didn' say, "Drill, baby, Drill" - the recent outcry in
> the U.S. to decrease gas prices.  As has been proved in the
> past -oil is a world wide commodity.  Increased domestic oil production
> does nothing to decrease the price.  It did nothing when
> Belize struck oil on land either and we have seen this by experience.  It
> also did not produce many jobs since the drillers brought
> people in from outside the country.
> 7.  Tourism and fishing make up a large percentage of our GDP.  Anyone who
> thinks an oil spill will not irreparably damage Belize does
> not know this country.  I am surprised and saddened to find such an
> attitude on the Coral list.
>
> Disappointed,
> Dr. K.C. Mattes
> www.BelizeMarineTREC.com
>
> > From: coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 33, Issue 2
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 12:00:02 -0400
> >
> > Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> > coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >
> > You can reach the person managing the list at
> > coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >
> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> > than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest..."
> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> > 1. Status of Bonaire coral reefs (Sander Scheffers)
> > 2. Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier Reef.
> > (Eugene Shinn)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 09:21:38 +1000
> > From: Sander Scheffers <sander.scheffers at scu.edu.au>
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Status of Bonaire coral reefs
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Message-ID: <97FA8D45-7412-4533-8AE8-A022E6E60D01 at scu.edu.au>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >
> > Dear colleagues,
> > Following up on the IUCN report of the Bonaire Marine Park, I would like
> to draw your attention to a recently published article in Bulletin of Marine
> Science:
> >
> > "Coral community decline at Bonaire, Southern Caribbean"
> >
> > Website:
> http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/pre-prints/8737;jsessionid=3qmvimw0g0nli.alice
> >
> > Abstract:
> > We assessed the status of coral reef benthic communities at Bonaire,
> Netherlands Antilles, in December 2008 and January 2009 through aprox 5 km
> of photo transects taken at depths of 5, 10, and 20 m at 14 locations around
> the island. Univariate and multivariate analyses detected significant
> variation in benthic communities among depths and locations, as well as
> between leeward and windward sides of the island. Mean percentage cover of
> scleractinian corals ranged between 0.2 percent and 43.6 percent at the
> study sites and tended to be lowest at 5-m depth. The survey recorded 40
> scleractinian coral species from 19 genera, within 10 families. Faviidae
> were by far the most abundant scleractinian family at all depths
> (predominantly Montastraea spp.), followed by Agariciidae at 20 and 10 m,
> and by Astrocoeniidae at 5-m depth. Macroalgal cover exceeded scleractinian
> coral cover at nearly all sites, averaging 34.9 percent (all samples
> pooled), compared with a pooled mean coral cover
>  o
> > f 15.4 percent. Windward reefs were characterized by prolific growth of
> the brown algae Sargassum spp., and leeward reefs by growth of turf algae,
> Dictyota spp., Trichogloeopsis pedicellata (Howe) I. A. Abbott and Doty, and
> Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) Womersley ex Oliveira. Damage from recent
> hurricanes was evident from the presence of toppled and fragmented corals,
> the movement of sand, and exposure of cemented Acropora cervicornis
> (Lamarck, 1816) rubble on the shallow reef platform. The combination of
> algal dominance and low to moderate coral cover are symptomatic of partly
> degraded reef systems, particularly as they coincide with elevated nutrients
> and reduced herbivory.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Sander
> >
> > Dr Sander Scheffers
> >
> > Lecturer & Senior Research Fellow Southern Cross University
> > Honorary Research Fellow University of Queensland
> > Deputy Director Southern Cross Marine Science,
> > Associate Researcher Caribbean Research Institute for Management of
> Biodiversity (CARMABI), Cura?ao (Netherlands Antilles)
> >
> > Southern Cross University
> > PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
> > Email: sander.scheffers at scu.edu.au
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 13:18:16 -0400
> >
> From: Eugene Shinn <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Help Ban Oil Exploration on the Belize Barrier
> > Reef.
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > Message-ID: <a0623090bc9e345ca9402@[131.247.137.127]>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
> >
> > "offshore drilling in Belize will lead to an environmental disaster
> > from which Belize will never recover."
> > Now that is as hysterical and emotional as it can get! It would be
> > good to get your facts in order before making such knee-jerk
> > reactions. Several wells have already been drilled along the Belize
> > shelf during the 1960s and 1970s and there were no "disasters" other
> > than the fact that they did not find any oil.
> > It would be good to know if they (who ever they are) are planning
> > deep water drilling or shallow water drilling as was done there in
> > the past? It makes a big difference. Of course actual discovery of
> > oil might have a large impact. It could bring big bucks and jobs to a
> > relatively poor country and hopefully bring down the cost of fuel.
> > You can be sure that no one is going to drill right on top of a coral
> > reef. What does a gallon of gasoline costs in Belize? I assume it is
> > all transported there in tankers which is well known to be the
> > largest source of oil pollution in the oceans worldwide. Gene
> > --
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> > No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
> > ------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
> > E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
> > University of South Florida
> > Marine Science Center (room 204)
> > 140 Seventh Avenue South
> > St. Petersburg, FL 33701
> > <eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
> > Tel 727 553-1158----------------------------------
> > -----------------------------------
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> > End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 33, Issue 2
> > *****************************************
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>


------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 18:24:58 -0400
From: "Szmant, Alina" <szmanta at uncw.edu>
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral species list for Mesoamerican Barrier
        Reef System
To: Derek Manzello <dmanzello at rsmas.miami.edu>,
        "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Message-ID:
        <68ECDB295FC42D4C98B223E75A854025D9DC25EDB9 at uncwexmb2.dcs.uncw.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Derek:

Contrary to your statements, and those cited from the 8th International Symposium, there are a number of studies that have quantified the relative contribution of the various calcifying taxa to reef building, and there are large regional and local differences in these values.  In chapters in the old (1973-1975) Geology and Biology of Coral Reefs and other sources, analyzing which taxa make up how much of long reef cores, corals are attributed with 5-45 % of the carbonate, red and green calcified algae together 5 to 60 % of the carbonate, forams 2-40 %, and miscellaneous inverts (echinoderms, mollusks, crustaceans up to 30 % of the carbonate.  So while I agree that the large coral heads and also the fast growing branching corals are essential for reef formation, they don't do it alone.

Best,

Alina

*************************************************************************
Dr. Alina M. Szmant
Professor of Marine Biology
Center for Marine Science and Dept of Biology and Marine Biology
University of North Carolina Wilmington
5600 Marvin Moss Ln
Wilmington NC 28409 USA
tel:  910-962-2362  fax: 910-962-2410  cell: 910-200-3913
http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
*******************************************************


-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Derek Manzello
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 1:15 PM
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Coral species list for Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System

Hello Doug and coral-list,

Thanks for the helpful information.  However, I found one statement in
your message inaccurate.

The statement I refer to is this: "That said, most reefs are not just
coral reefs, they are coralgal reefs or even algal coral reefs, with
coralline algae and other calcareous algae contributing as much or more
calcium buildup than the corals."

This is a popular quip among certain reef ecologists that is not
supported by any hard data, other than some very rare and extreme
cases.  I felt it was necessary to respond to this because this
misconception seems to be popping up everywhere and I think we need to
remind ourselves that this was already debated and pretty much resolved
a while back.  In fact, there was an entire session during the 8th
International Coral Reef Symposium entitled "Are calcareous algae
important to reefs today or in the past?"

In the session summary, Steneck and Testa state: ""Calcareous algae have
long been assumed to be important and perhaps even necessary for reef
development. If so, one might expect to find the rates of reef growth
(or accumulation) correlating with the abundance of calcareous algae.
Macintyre (1997) reviewed the association of coralline algae and reef
development by reviewing  non-algal ridge reefs and 5 algal ridge reefs
that have been drilled all over the world. Macintyre made the simple but
profound point that most of the worlds fastest growing coral reefs were
relatively devoid of coralline algae during that period of rapid
growth... Coral reefs do not require corallines or any calcareous algae
for their formation. Internal strength of reefs is primarily augmented
by submarine lithification and not by coralline algal cementation as has
often been asserted."

CCAs are important to reef dynamics for a variety of reasons, but they
do not significantly contribute to the calcium carbonate budget of the
vast majority of coral reefs, nor do they 'cement' reefs, as has been a
popular misconception for years.  For further information on this topic,
I refer the list to the important papers within this session (all freely
available online at reefbase), that are all too often overlooked.  The
specific papers referred to here are referenced below.

With regards,
Derek Manzello


REFS
Macintyre IG (1997) Reevaluating the role of crustose coralline algae in
the construction of coral reefs. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:725-730

Steneck RS, Testa V (1997) Are calcareous algae important to reefs today
or in the past? Symposium summary. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:685-688.


On 4/21/2011 4:41 PM, Douglas Fenner wrote:
> >      Almost all reef-building coral species in the Caribbean have ranges
> > throughout the Caribbean, since the Caribbean is a relatively small
body of
> > water (compared to the Indo-Pacific, for instance).  Most all of  the
species
> > have already been found in places like Belize, Cozumel,  Akumal,
Cancun area,
> > and so on, and some of the others may be there but  just haven't been
found
> > there yet.  There are a very few which have not  been found in the NW
or W
> > Caribbean at all, and might (might) not be  there (to prove they are
not there
> > is like trying to prove the null  hypothesis).  One that is pretty
sure not to
> > be there is Millepora  squarrosa.  It is only known from the southeast
> > Caribbean, and reports  elsewhere are likely all errors.  Millepora
complanata
> > can look a bit like it, but if you look in the Humann book  you'll see M.
> > squarrosa is actually quite distinctive and easy to  recognize.  A second
> > species is Leptoseris cailleti, a small deep-water  species that is
rarely
> > reported anywhere.  Millepora striata is rarely  reported, but I
reported it
> > from Belize, so it is in the MesoAmerican  reef system.  There are a
few other
> > rarely reported or less well known  species that may or may not be
there, such
> > as Madracis senaria, Madracis  asperula, Madracis carambi and Porites
branneri.
> > The situation is  quite different with the azooxanthellate corals.
How many are
> > present  in an area is poorly known, probably because they are small and
> > cryptic,  but they may be patchy as well, since they typically live in
very
> > specific habitats like cavern roofs that are searched less often and
less
> > completely than open habitats.  Also, their identification is not a
trivial
> > matter for most  of us reef biologists, most require sending a sample
to the one
> > or two  people in the whole world who are experts on their taxonomy
(I'm not one
> > of them, Dr. Stephen Cairns at the Smithsonian is one, and can put you
in touch
> > with the others).
> >        For the zooxanthellate species, you can find range maps in
Veron (2000),
> > but it appears he fills in all the Caribbean for any species found
somewhere in
> > the Caribbean.  He's working on a much more detailed  database called
"Coral
> > Geographic."
> >
> >       To my way of thinking Belize has a true barrier reef, but the
rest of the
> > MesoAmerican reef system is not a barrier reef as far as I know, but
I'm no
> > expert on it.  A barrier reef has to have a significant lagoon between
it and
> > land, and my impression is outside Belize, reefs are pretty much
fringing.  I've
> > also heard of the Florida Keys reefs referred to as a barrier reef.  I
prefer
> > the older name, "Florida Reef Tract" since as far as I know it
consists of a
> > series of relatively small reefs with wide gaps between them, and more
> > continuous ridges of hard grounds that are not currently living coral
reefs and
> > don't get close to the surface.  Gene Shinn also tells me that the
Florida Keys
> > reefs have been called bank reefs.  That said, most reefs are not just
coral
> > reefs, they are coralgal reefs or even algal coral reefs, with
coralline algae
> > and other calcareous algae contributing as much or more calcium
buildup than the
> > corals.  Also, the Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef but a whole
series of
> > about two  thousand reefs, with gaps of various sizes (a maze that in
effect is
> > a barrier to  navigation unless you have GPS and a very good map
system and are
> > a good  navigator).  There is one section that is a nearly continuous
barrier,
> > the section called the "Ribbon Reefs."  I'd also remind people of the
barrier
> > reef in New Caledonia, which is like Belize and the Ribbon Reefs in
the GBR, a
> > nearly continuous barrier with some small gaps.  New Caledonia is said
to have
> > the longest continuous barrier reef in the world, and likely that is
not widely
> > known.  Anyhow, "MesoAmerican reef system"  sounds fine with me, as
does Belize
> > Barrier Reef, but adding barrier to  MesoAmerican does not, nor does
it for
> > Florida.  It seems like today  people think the word "barrier" adds
charisma, so
> > they want to call  their reef a barrier reef.  Fringing reef ought to
also have
> > some  charisma, think of the Ningaloo fringing reef in western Australia,
> > longest fringing reef in the world.  Not nearly as well known as the
GBR, but a
> > huge and amazing reef.  Think of Indonesia, which has more  coral
reefs than any
> > other country in the world (slightly more than  Australia), I bet most
of their
> > reefs are fringing.  Also among the most  diverse in the world, a true
world
> > treasure.  Fringing is good.        Doug
> >
> > Cheers,  Doug
> >
> > Fenner, D. 2001.  Biogeography of three Caribbeancorals (Scleractinia);
> > Tubastraea
> >
> >     coccineainvades the Gulf of Mexico.  Bulletin of Marine Science 69:
> > 1175-1189.
> >
> > Fenner, D.  1999.  New Observations on the Stony Coral Species
(Scleractinia,
> >     Milliporidae, Stylaseridae) of Belize(Central America) and
Cozumel(Mexico).
> >     Bulletin of Marine Science 64: 143-154.
> >
> > Fenner, D. P. 1993. Some reefs and corals of Roatan (Honduras), Cayman
Brac, and
> >     Little Cayman.  Atoll Research Bulletin 388: 1-30.
> > Weerdt, W. H.  de.  1990.  Discontinuous distribution of the tropical
west
> > Atlantic  hydrocoral Millepora squarrosa.  Beaufort. 41: 195-203.
> >
> > Douglas Fenner
> > Coral Reef Monitoring Ecologist
> > Dept Marine & Wildlife Resources
> > American Samoa
> >
> >
> > Mailing address:
> > PO Box 3730
> > Pago Pago, AS 96799
> > USA
> >
> >
> > work phone 684  633 4456
> >
> >
> > Sharply increased mass loss from glaciers and ice caps in the Canadian
Arctic
> > Archipelago
> >
> >
> > Between  the periods 2004-2006 and 2007-2009, the rate of mass loss
sharply
> > increased from 31 ? 8 Gt yr 1 to 92 ? 12 Gt yr 1 in direct response to
 warmer
> > summer temperatures, to which rates of ice loss are highly  sensitive
(64 ? 14
> > Gt yr 1 per 1 K increase).
> >
> > Gardner et al Nature
> > http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10089.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20110421
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Brittany Huntington <brittanyhuntington at gmail.com>
> > To: coral-list at coral.aoml..noaa.gov
> > Sent: Thu, April 21, 2011 4:13:17 AM
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Coral species list for Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
System
> >
> > I am interested in determining the regional species pool for
scleractinian
> > corals within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.  Published reports
weigh
> > in around 60 species from what I have found but would appreciate any
leads
> > to a taxonomic list of coral species observed in the region.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Brittany Huntington
> >
> > Brittany Huntington
> > Doctoral Candidate
> > Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries
> > Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
> > University of Miami
> > 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
> > Miami, FL 33149
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list



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