[Coral-List] Reef Islands & Sea Level

[Clifford J. Hearn]

Dear Dennis, regarding your answer to my concern about your original posting on sea-level rise and accretion, which was in response to a report in the journal 'Science' by C. Pala (and is to form a comment in Science by yourself), I think the major fault in your argument is that you fail to recognize that net accretion, or growth (for which you quote values well below those of Pala) depends on sea-level; surely coral will react to changed sea-level as it has so many times in the past. Agreeing with Pala, sea-level rise, and consequent reef changes should be viewed in the context of human degradation of shorelines and the many other factors of climate change.

In your response to my original comment on your posting you say, 'I am a bit confused by the terminology in your posting.
Please define what you mean by "growth rate".' 

Really!

This is all textbook stuff but I am merely saying that you cannot assess the effects of sea-level change on reefs by quoting historical rates of net accretion prior to that change.

Sincerely
Clifford J Hearn
Working Science Consultancies
Singapore
(see cjhearn.com)