[Coral-List] Reporting CO2 to the public

Rudy Bonn rudy_bonn at yahoo.com
Fri Sep 14 13:14:39 EDT 2012


Good idea, but are members of the general public going to able to interpret what those levels actually mean?  There has to be some information to go along with data, it would also be neat to include dropping pH levels in the world ocean, if we want folks to get involved and reduce their carbon footprints, they must know what the data means, just to say that today's CO2 level is 380ppm is not enough, most folks wont know what ppm means!   Just a thought  Rudy  



Rudy S Bonn
Director of Marine Projects
Reef Relief
631 Greene Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-3100


--- On Fri, 9/14/12, coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> From: coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Coral-List Digest, Vol 49, Issue 17
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Date: Friday, September 14, 2012, 6:04 AM
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> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. Re: Pics correction software (Dennis
> Hubbard)
>    2. REEF Marine Conservation Internship
> Accepting    Invitations
>       (Christy Semmens)
>    3. SWFSC ERD Division Director -- Upcoming
> Job    Announcement
>       (Jim Hendee)
>    4. reporting [CO2] to the public (BRUCE
> CARLSON)
>    5. Re: reporting [CO2] to the public
> (Szmant, Alina)
>    6. Re: reporting [CO2] to the public (Susan_White at fws.gov)
>    7. Re: reporting [CO2] to the public
> (Dennis Hubbard)
>    8. Will the reefs die completely??
> (Douglas Fenner)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:32:41 -0400
> From: Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Pics correction software
> To: Martina Milanese <m.milanese at studioassociatogaia.com>
> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID:
>     <CAFjCZNaskWAMN0Z73pb2Hv-L2zmUQDMkjnZsahgcTOggypM5VQ at mail.gmail..com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> Maetina:
> 
> Two perhaps dead-end suggestions. First, if you can get the
> lens
> specifications, you could probably use GIS
> ortho-rectification software to
> take out the stretch. Alternately, you can designate the
> absolute positions
> of specific points in your photos an the software will
> "rubber sheet" the
> image back to the real world. If you have a GIS guru
> available (s)he should
> be able to help you. ALternately, you might contact the
> camera
> manufaxcturer. They might have software that could
> post-process your
> images, essentially doing what the camera does
> automatically.
> 
> Good luck,
> 
> Dennis
> 
> On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 8:42 AM, Martina Milanese <
> m.milanese at studioassociatogaia.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a problem with some uw photos I took while
> following up a long-term
> > field experiment where measuring is crucial. May anyone
> help?
> >
> > I took the pics using the photo mode of my Sony XR550
> camcorder, which
> > features a slight wide-angle lens. I?ve done this
> several times in the past
> > and the camera automatically corrects the associated
> distortion when a
> > specific photo format is selected. Very good and
> smooth. For reasons I
> > don?t
> > know, however, this time the usual camera setting was
> overturned. Of course
> > I realised it too late... I was horrified at finding
> out that all my pics
> > are stretched in the four corners and the straight
> rulers are so gently
> > curved...
> >
> > Does anyone know about a software that may correct
> this, essentially as the
> > camera does when the appropriate setting is selected?
> > I seem to remember reading a paper where something
> similar was used but
> > can?t really find it again. Any other advice (besides
> getting back in the
> > water and repeat the session, of course) is welcome!
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Martina
> >
> >
> > --
> > Dr. Martina Milanese, PhD
> > Studio Associato Gaia SNC dei Dottori Antonio Sar? e
> Martina Milanese
> >
> > www.studioassociatogaia.com
> >
> > m.milanese at studioassociatogaia.com
> > martinix at iol.it
> >
> > Mob. ITA +39-338-1196672
> >         NED
> +31-6-45227107
> >         GER
> +49-1522-3166767
> >
> > Skype m.milanese
> > Msn   martinix at iol.it
> >
> > Find me on LinkedIn!
> >
> > Il presente messaggio, corredato dei relativi allegati,
> contiene
> > informazioni da considerarsi strettamente riservate ed
> ? destinato
> > esclusivamente al destinatario sopra indicato, il quale
> ? l'unico
> > autorizzato ad usarlo, copiarlo e, sotto la propria
> responsabilit?,
> > diffonderlo. Chiunque ricevesse questo messaggio per
> errore o comunque lo
> > leggesse senza esserne legittimato ? avvertito che
> trattenerlo, copiarlo,
> > divulgarlo, distribuirlo a persone diverse dal
> destinatario ? severamente
> > proibito, ed ? pregato di rinviarlo immediatamente al
> mittente
> > distruggendone l'originale.
> >
> > This message, together with its annex(es), contains
> information to be
> > deemed
> > strictly confidential and is destined only to the
> addressee(s) identified
> > above who only may use, copy and, under his/their
> responsibility, further
> > disseminate it. If anyone received this message by
> mistake or reads it
> > without entitlement is forewarned that keeping,
> copying, disseminating or
> > distributing this message to persons other than the
> addressee(s) is
> > strictly
> > forbidden and is asked to transmit it immediately to
> the sender and to
> > erase
> > the original message received.
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dennis Hubbard
> Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
> (440) 775-8346
> 
> * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the
> wrong stop"*
>  Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the
> Dream*"
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:58:37 -0700
> From: Christy Semmens <christy at reef.org>
> Subject: [Coral-List] REEF Marine Conservation Internship
> Accepting
>     Invitations
> To: Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID: <DFCD8114-6ADD-45BB-B323-C964107217EC at reef.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Please share with your appropriate networks. Questions and
> applications go to REEF General Manager, Martha Klitzkie, at
> Martha at REEF.org. 
> 
> Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) is now
> accepting applications for the Spring 2013 Marine
> Conservation Internship. The internship is designed to
> provide in-depth experience in marine conservation and
> non-profit organizations. The program is geared to
> college-age individuals (Juniors, Seniors, recent graduates
> & graduate students). REEF Interns gain experience in
> community outreach, education programs, and field work
> including lionfish handling/collection and reef fish
> identification. Interns also have opportunities to scuba
> dive and volunteer with other marine conservation and
> non-profit organizations. The internship is unpaid, but a
> housing stipend is sometimes available. The internship is
> based out of REEF Headquarters in Key Largo, Florida. 
> 
> Applications for internships starting in January of 2013 are
> due by November 1st. 
> 
> Please visit http://www.reef.org/about/internships/application for
> more information on the internship and how to apply.
> 
> Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D.
> Director of Science
> Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
> www.REEF.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:41:02 -0400
> From: Jim Hendee <jim.hendee at noaa.gov>
> Subject: [Coral-List] SWFSC ERD Division Director --
> Upcoming Job
>     Announcement
> To: Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
>     <CA+OFz=cVds_zCer7aWKzphc4+QeDHtWuxZuB9V33MqN75V_YUw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
> 
> FYI (and I know nothing of the specifics).
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Upcoming Job Announcement for:
> 
> Director of the Environmental Research Division
> 
> Southwest Fisheries Science Center
> 
> La Jolla, CA
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> 
> In the next few days, NOAA/SWFSC (http://swfsc.noaa.gov/) will advertise a
> job opportunity for the position of Director of the
> Environmental Research
> Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National
> Marine Fisheries
> Service, NOAA.
> 
> 
>  The position will be advertised through USAJobs; the time
> window to apply
> will be limited.  The position is a Supervisory
> Research Oceanographer,
> ZP-1360-05.  Salary range: $123,728 - $155,500. 
> (See opportunity
> announcement for education and experience
> requirements.  You must provide
> all transcripts from all degrees received by the closing
> date of the
> announcement.)   U.S. citizenship required.
> 
> 
> 
> This position is located at the National Marine Fisheries
> Service,
> Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWC), Environmental
> Research Division
> (ERD) in La Jolla, CA.  The ERD has a major focus on
> assessing,
> understanding and predicting the effects of climate and
> environmental
> variability ? from global to local scales that are important
> to fish
> populations, protected species and marine ecosystems. 
> The ERD provides
> appropriate science-based environmental analyses, products
> and information
> to the SWC and its fishery scientists and managers, as a
> means to
> developing more effective ecosystem approaches to
> management.
> 
> 
> 
> The individual selected for this position will: * Manage,
> supervise, and
> lead a research organization with the goal of conducting
> scientific
> research on fishery-related effects of natural environmental
> variability; *
> Independently plan, develop, and implement vital projects
> that have
> operating unit and/or Department-wide scope; * Formulate and
> carry out a
> complex research and policy analysis program of major
> importance
> (in science, engineering, calibration, information
> technology, economics,
> social science or statistics) under general policy guidance;
> *
> Significantly advance science and technology by promoting
> wide application
> of program results through publications, presentations, or
> authoritative
> reports or analyses.
> 
> 
> 
> See USAJobs (position will be posted soon):
> 
> https://www.usajobs.gov/
> 
> Search for: "Oceanographer La Jolla"
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> ---------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:54:25 -1000
> From: BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> To: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID: <75F2B4FE-1284-4F7C-AE43-B41016077980 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Just a thought to toss out to everyone:  If a goal is
> to reduce atmospheric CO2, and if this ultimately requires
> participation of absolutely everyone, shouldn't everyone
> know what the concentration of CO2 is on a regular basis so
> we can all see how it is changing?  
> 
> We in the science community all know how [CO2] is tracking
> over time, but how about the general public? If they can't
> see it or smell it, and if they don't read science reports,
> they can easily dismiss it as a non-existent problem. 
> Why shouldn't we, i.e., the science community, push to get
> TV weather reporters to routinely include a mention of
> global atmospheric CO2 concentration?  To go a step
> further, since NBC in the U.S. seems to be a leader in
> reporting changing weather trends in the daily news, why not
> get them to include CO2 tracking, perhaps on the Weather
> Channel, if not on the Nightly News? Maybe if the public
> starts to see how CO2 is changing over the long-run it will
> begin to sink in, especially as they/we all start
> correlating rising CO2 with the extreme changes in weather
> patterns.  
> 
> Stock market data and trends are presented everyday to
> everyone everywhere.  Why not do the same with CO2 and
> let people see the data for themselves? 
> 
> Bruce Carlson
> Honolulu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:21:00 -0400
> From: "Szmant, Alina" <szmanta at uncw.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> To: BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>,
> coral list
>     <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
>     <68ECDB295FC42D4C98B223E75A854025DA05710E6B at uncwexmb2.dcs.uncw.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Great idea Bruce, especially if they present it as a graph
> going back to 1750.
> 
> *************************************************************************
> 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 BRUCE CARLSON
> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2012 2:54 PM
> To: coral list
> Subject: [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> 
> Just a thought to toss out to everyone:  If a goal is
> to reduce atmospheric CO2, and if this ultimately requires
> participation of absolutely everyone, shouldn't everyone
> know what the concentration of CO2 is on a regular basis so
> we can all see how it is changing?  
> 
> We in the science community all know how [CO2] is tracking
> over time, but how about the general public? If they can't
> see it or smell it, and if they don't read science reports,
> they can easily dismiss it as a non-existent problem. 
> Why shouldn't we, i.e., the science community, push to get
> TV weather reporters to routinely include a mention of
> global atmospheric CO2 concentration?  To go a step
> further, since NBC in the U.S. seems to be a leader in
> reporting changing weather trends in the daily news, why not
> get them to include CO2 tracking, perhaps on the Weather
> Channel, if not on the Nightly News? Maybe if the public
> starts to see how CO2 is changing over the long-run it will
> begin to sink in, especially as they/we all start
> correlating rising CO2 with the extreme changes in weather
> patterns.  
> 
> Stock market data and trends are presented everyday to
> everyone everywhere.  Why not do the same with CO2 and
> let people see the data for themselves? 
> 
> Bruce Carlson
> Honolulu
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:47:34 -1000
> From: <Susan_White at fws.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> To: BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>
> Cc: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
>     <OFD6291509.151F88E8-ON0A257A78.006BE1E3-0A257A78.006C21E2 at fws.gov>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> Aloha Bruce- 
> your good idea reminded me of Deanna Spooner's email
> signature.  Deanna is 
> the Coordinator of the Pacific Islands Climate Change
> Cooperative and at 
> the bottom of her email she includes CO2 levels measured
> from Mauna Loa 
> observatory.  I copied it and (starting now) am
> including it on my own 
> email signature.  I agree that people should be aware
> of the CO2 levels, 
> and this is one small way to get it out there.
>   Data is updated regularly by the Earth System
> Research Lab at:  
> http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/mlo.html
>  
>  
> Susan White 
> Monuments Superintendent / Refuge Project Leader
> Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge Complex
> U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
> email:  susan_white at fws.gov 
>            ph: 
> 808/792-9560 
> http://www.fws.gov/marinenationalmonuments/
>  
> ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>
> 
> Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument
>      Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Palmyra
> Atoll, Kingman Reef, 
>      Johnston Atoll, Wake Atoll National
> Wildlife Refuges
> Rose Atoll Marine National Monument
>      Rose Atoll National Wildlife
> Refuge
> Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
>      Marianas Arc of Fire, Mariana
> Trench National Wildlife Refuges
> ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>   ><>
> 
>  
> CO2 measurement from the Mauna Loa observatory as of August
> 2012: 392.41 
> ppm (August 2011 was 390.08 ppm)
>  
>  
> 
> 
> 
> BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>
> 
> Sent by: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> 09/13/2012 09:07 AM
> 
> To
> coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> cc
> 
> Subject
> [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just a thought to toss out to everyone:  If a goal is
> to reduce 
> atmospheric CO2, and if this ultimately requires
> participation of 
> absolutely everyone, shouldn't everyone know what the
> concentration of CO2 
> is on a regular basis so we can all see how it is changing?
> 
> 
> We in the science community all know how [CO2] is tracking
> over time, but 
> how about the general public? If they can't see it or smell
> it, and if 
> they don't read science reports, they can easily dismiss it
> as a 
> non-existent problem.  Why shouldn't we, i.e., the
> science community, push 
> to get TV weather reporters to routinely include a mention
> of global 
> atmospheric CO2 concentration?  To go a step further,
> since NBC in the 
> U.S. seems to be a leader in reporting changing weather
> trends in the 
> daily news, why not get them to include CO2 tracking,
> perhaps on the 
> Weather Channel, if not on the Nightly News? Maybe if the
> public starts to 
> see how CO2 is changing over the long-run it will begin to
> sink in, 
> especially as they/we all start correlating rising CO2 with
> the extreme 
> changes in weather patterns. 
> 
> Stock market data and trends are presented everyday to
> everyone 
> everywhere.  Why not do the same with CO2 and let
> people see the data for 
> themselves? 
> 
> Bruce Carlson
> Honolulu
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 7
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:10:58 -0400
> From: Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] reporting [CO2] to the public
> To: BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>
> Cc: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
>     <CAFjCZNaoUCgUt0moiYLFNgy29=vOoWpoOdaOhikNiRGRhABSVg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> Bruce:
> 
> But you leave out the obvious one - The Daily Show. John
> Stewart was
> recently voted the most trusted newsman in the US. Yeah, I
> know.... but
> actually true investigative reporting has all but
> disappeared in this
> country - and most of the fact checking and similar
> activities that have
> been picked up by the more mainstream media had their
> origins on the Daily
> Show.
> 
> And, I can hardly see the other news anchors already with
> all the trailers,
> ticker tapes and so forth. I'll bet that if you compared the
> actual screen
> space occupied by the talking head today to the screen size
> when I Love
> Lucy was not in reruns, there's not a lot of difference. I'm
> afraid that,
> with the scant amount of screen space left, if we put up the
> CO2 graph,
> we'd be watching........ "radio".
> 
> SO, despite the fact that his globe rotates the wrong way at
> the beginning
> of the show, that would still be my vote, given the
> alternatives. Sorry,
> the devil made me do it!
> 
> Dennis
> 
> On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 2:54 PM, BRUCE CARLSON <exallias2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Just a thought to toss out to everyone:  If a goal
> is to reduce
> > atmospheric CO2, and if this ultimately requires
> participation of
> > absolutely everyone, shouldn't everyone know what the
> concentration of CO2
> > is on a regular basis so we can all see how it is
> changing?
> >
> > We in the science community all know how [CO2] is
> tracking over time, but
> > how about the general public? If they can't see it or
> smell it, and if they
> > don't read science reports, they can easily dismiss it
> as a non-existent
> > problem.  Why shouldn't we, i.e., the science
> community, push to get TV
> > weather reporters to routinely include a mention of
> global atmospheric CO2
> > concentration?  To go a step further, since NBC in
> the U.S. seems to be a
> > leader in reporting changing weather trends in the
> daily news, why not get
> > them to include CO2 tracking, perhaps on the Weather
> Channel, if not on the
> > Nightly News? Maybe if the public starts to see how CO2
> is changing over
> > the long-run it will begin to sink in, especially as
> they/we all start
> > correlating rising CO2 with the extreme changes in
> weather patterns.
> >
> > Stock market data and trends are presented everyday to
> everyone
> > everywhere.  Why not do the same with CO2 and let
> people see the data for
> > themselves?
> >
> > Bruce Carlson
> > Honolulu
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dennis Hubbard
> Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
> (440) 775-8346
> 
> * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the
> wrong stop"*
>  Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the
> Dream*"
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 10:53:43 -1100
> From: Douglas Fenner <douglasfennertassi at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Will the reefs die completely??
> To: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
>     <CAOEmEkFRh-AZLfSkAz1W_zU3QFgUix-n=6xWG3x_MxwojcW-sw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> 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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> 
> End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 49, Issue 17
> ******************************************
> 


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