[Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been greatly exaggerated??

Sat Oct 22 08:58:41 EDT 2016

Halard, Steve, List,
I agree with you about the Outsider article being dismissed as hyperbole,
or worse, used for mischief by deniers.
If it is intended as satire or parody as some allege, then I must wonder
what or who is being satirized or parodied; global warming, scientists,
environmentalists perhaps?

Better a full frontal approach such as this one although entrenched
interests, not physics, is the enemy:
https://newrepublic.com/article/135684/declare-war-
climate-change-mobilize-wwii

On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 2:20 PM, Lescinsky, Halard <hlescinsky at otterbein.edu
> wrote:

> Steve:  I wish that the general public (and my students) were as attentive
> readers as you suppose.  The truth is I doubt that any of them got past the
> headline in their news feed and really read the story.  Who has time these
> days for more than a sound bite?  Unfortunately, I am pretty sure the end
> result of the story for many on Facebook is not education and awareness,
> but something more akin to "fear mongers are at it again", or "we can't
> really trust what we hear, its all over sensationalized". ---Hal
>
> On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 2:03 PM, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Dear Halard,
> > Although it was a bit disconcerting to hear that your students did not
> > recognize the satirical nature of the article/obituary in Outside
> Magazine (
> > https://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-
> > barrier-reef-25-million-bc-2016), it seems to have presented a great
> > teaching opportunity.
> > I would start out by asking them if they believed that the last paragraph
> > of the obituary was true based on their current knowledge of the state of
> > the world's coral reefs. Here is what it said: "The Great Barrier Reef
> was
> > predeceased by the South Pacific’s Coral Triangle, the Florida Reef off
> the
> > Florida Keys, and most other coral reefs on earth. It is survived by the
> > remnants of the Belize Barrier Reef and some deepwater corals". If they
> > know a little about coral reefs they might be able to pick up on the
> > sarcasm and then you could expand on to the real intent of the piece. As
> to
> > what the appropriate response to the obituary should be, that is the big
> > question. As I see it, the message emanating from the marine sciences
> today
> > is somewhat in need of clarification. The general public if coral-
> > conscious hears about many issues that are adversely affecting coral
> reefs.
> > The lionfish invasion, marine debris, sunscreen and even diver
> interactions
> > with the reef are all problematic, but are these issues being presented
> in
> > the proper context? If someone frames any of these problems as "life
> > threatening" to the reefs should they be corrected or reinforced? I am of
> > the mind that believes that threats to the reefs ought to be prioritized
> > with climate change, land-based pollutants and over-fishing to be
> > emphasized, but I leave it to the experts (many listers included) to
> > provide guidance and insight on that. So if this article deserves a
> > reprimand, what exactly is the correct message that we should be putting
> > out there in order to ensure that the dramatic and sensationalized GBR
> > obituary remains a total misrepresentation of the facts?    Regards,
> Steve
> >
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> >
> > On Oct 18, 2016, at 3:49 PM, Lescinsky, Halard <hlescinsky at otterbein.edu
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > The article in question was featured prominently on Facebook, and was
> > widely distributed and read by many people with little interest or
> > knowledge about reefs.  My experience was that over the weekend I was
> with
> > a group of friends and was asked out of the blue if the it was true the
> > Great Barrier Reef had died.  The conversation stopped as many in the
> group
> > had also heard this and  truly want to know.  I was a little perplexed
> not
> > having known the origin of the rumor, but filled in the background about
> El
> > Nino and bleaching, and the difference between dead coral and the
> > structural reef and its inhabitants.  Monday morning I caught up on Coral
> > List and sent a rebuttal link to a couple of my friends one of who texted
> > back "Good.  That makes me feel better"  .  Today I taught two sections
> > of my general ed science course on Coral Reefs and before I had even
> > started the first lecture a student had approached me to ask if it was
> > true.  I had planned ahead and put a link to the original article and a
> > rebuttal into my lecture and made it an area of discussion for the
> > day.  More than half the students in each of the two sections had seen
> the
> > obituary, and I'd say they seemed to have lots of concerns, and not one
> > thought is was satirical or a possible future event.  They read it as a
> > news feed.
> >
> > While I was glad to have something to discuss and to have some truly
> > concerned and interested students, I guess I am more worried about the
> > "crying wolf" effect.  Its hard to explain both that reefs aren't dead
> and
> > that their predicament was exaggerated while at the same time stressing
> > that they are still in fact in dire danger going forward... its easy to
> > lose the subtleties in such conversations.
> >
> > In anycase, this is BIG NEWS among Americans on Facebook (I don't know
> > about elsewhere), and at least those in the US should plan a response
> > because we will probably be asked..
> >
> > ...Hal
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 9:58 AM, Dennis Hubbard <
> > dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> > As I remember, there was a disclaimer that this was a "future" obituary..
> We
> >
> > have waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on our hands if we spend any time going
> >
> > back and forth on this one.
> >
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 11:07 AM, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >   Dear Doug,
> >
> >   Yes, it seems that the article/obituary has set off a firestorm. I
> >
> > took
> >
> > it
> >
> >   as  satire, but it seems that many readers and scientific purists felt
> >
> >   betrayed. Does it hurt legitimate science? Does it fuel indifference
> >
> > and
> >
> >   hopelessness?  I'm not sure, but it did get people talking about the
> >
> > state
> >
> >   of coral reefs and I believe that's better than neglect.. After all,
> >
> > the
> >
> >   higher purpose of satire is to be sure to infuse it with "the intent
> >
> > of
> >
> >   shaming  individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into
> >
> >   improvement". You can't deny that in that sense, this is exactly what
> >
> > the
> >
> >   coral doctor ordered.
> >
> >   Regards, Steve
> >
> >   ---Original Message-----
> >
> >
> > From: Douglas Fenner
> >
> > Sent: Oct 17, 2016 4:19 AM
> >
> > To: coral list
> >
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Has the death of the Great Barrier Reef been
> >
> >     greatly exaggerated??
> >
> >
> > Here's the piece that seems to have started this debate off:
> >
> >
> > Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 million BC- 2016)
> >
> >
> > http://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-
> >
> > barrier-reef-25-milli
> >
> >     on-bc-2016
> >
> >
> > A quick search on "is the Great Barrier Reef dead" produced a
> >
> > myriad
> >
> > of
> >
> > hits, including:
> >
> >
> > Great Barrier Reef obituary goes viral, to the horror of
> >
> > scientists.
> >
> >
> > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientists-take-on-
> >
> > great-barrier-reef
> >
> >     -obituary_us_57fff8f1e4b0162c043b068f
> >
> > ?
> >
> >
> > An irresponsible obituary for the Great Barrier Reef has gone
> >
> > viral-
> >
> >     here's
> >
> > what's actually going on.
> >
> >
> > http://www.businessinsider.com/coral-bleaching-viral-
> >
> > obituary-what-actual
> >
> >     ly-going-on-2016-10
> >
> >
> > The Great Barrier Reef isn't dead, in spite of its viral obituary
> >
> >
> > https://www.yahoo..com/news/great-barrier-reef-isnt-dead-
> >
> > 134129631.html
> >
> >
> > and many more.
> >
> >
> > Cheers, Doug
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Douglas Fenner
> >
> > Contractor for NOAA NMFS, and consultant
> >
> > "have regulator, will travel"
> >
> > PO Box 7390
> >
> > Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 USA
> >
> >
> > phone 1 684 622-7084
> >
> >
> > Join the International Society for Reef Studies. Membership
> >
> > includes
> >
> > a
> >
> > subscription to the journal Coral Reefs, and there are discounts
> >
> > for
> >
> > pdf
> >
> > subscriptions and developing countries. Coral Reefs is the only
> >
> > journal
> >
> > that is ALL coral reef articles, and it has amazingly LOW prices
> >
> > compared
> >
> > to other journals. Check it out! www.fit.edu/isrs/
> >
> >
> > "Belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."- Jim
> >
> >     Beever.
> >
> > "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own
> >
> >     facts."-
> >
> > Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
> >
> >
> > Policy: hasten the end of dated fossil-fuel subsidies
> >
> > http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v538/n7624/full/
> >
> > 538171c.html?WT.ec_i
> >
> >     d=NATURE-20161013&spMailingID=52515861&spUserID=
> >
> > MjA1NTA3MjA0OQS2&spJobID=1
> >
> >     022286029&spReportId=MTAyMjI4NjAyOQS2
> >
> >
> > Visuallizing the warmest August in 136 years.
> >
> > http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2016/
> >
> > 09/12/heres-how-
> >
> >     the-warmest-august-in-136-years-looks-in-chart-form/
> >
> >
> > website: http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
> >
> >
> > blog: http://ocean.si.edu/blog/reefs-american-samoa-story-hope
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> > Dennis Hubbard
> >
> > Chair, 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*"
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
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> >
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> >
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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