[Coral-List] COP26 impacts on coral reefs

[Bruce Carlson]

If it is nearly or completely inevitable that warming of 2.4C will result in 90% loss of corals, there are few options IMHO to preserve present-day coral reefs.  They will either shift polewards (with or without human “assistance”), and/or will decline to some condition that we might describe as “highly degraded” by current standards, with many extinctions along the way.

Apart from what to do to preserve corals in situ, we should be working with marine labs and public aquariums (private coral farms too) to set up cultures of corals both in numbers of species as well as genetic diversity - especially now while there is still considerable numbers of corals on reefs.  Cryogenic methods should be supported too.  

The example of Florida Dendrogyra ravaged by SCTLD is a model.  Florida D. probably no longer exists in the wild (?) but cultures are maintained in several labs and public aquariums.  The GBR Coral Biobank is another example currently under development.  Perhaps someday conditions will permit these corals to be re-established in the wild.  Maintaining these coral cultures in perpetuity will be expensive and will involve strict protocols; only the best funded labs and aquariums will be able to contribute.  

All well and good for corals, fishes too perhaps, but of course there are legions of other inverts and plants on coral reefs.  What happens to them??

Bruce


> On Nov 17, 2021, at 6:01 AM, Steve Mussman via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Emission reduction commitments made at COP26 have been calculated to result in a warming of 2.4C above pre-industrial levels.
> 
> Based on what I have read, this scenario is predicted to result in coral losses in excess of 90% worldwide.
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> How should this realization affect the coral science community’s priorities and strategies going forward?
> 
> https://www.marineconservation.org.au/cop26-and-the-great-barrier-reef-maintaining-hope/
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> https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/cop26-why-keeping-1-5-alive-is-critical-for-a-reef-in-danger/
> 
> https://youtu.be/Py1MzOKHevI
> 
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