[Coral-List] Coral reefs under threat

Fri Aug 4 23:06:55 UTC 2023

Doug, good points.

The corals in the shallows of Fiji get exposed for an hour or two during
extreme low tides every year, and they mostly survive, although if a hard
rain falls during that time, it can result in high mortality.  Corals in
areas with wave action get re-wetted repeatedly and so they do not suffer
as long as the waves and swells occur, but corals in the calm areas do get
more stressed, and often will bleach slightly in the exposed areas, or the
exposed parts will sometimes die. Not all species react the same. The
Diploastrea massive corals, for example, are much more sensitive.  Next
time you go out in the water, notice that the Diploastrea corals of the
subtidal boundary form flat-topped "microatolls" at a lower level than the
Porites colonies, about 20-30cm lower, and sometimes with flat-topped
Porites sitting on top of them.  I assume that these Diploastrea colonies
show us the extreme low water mark for the spring tides, as they die when
exposed, while the Porites colonies show us the mean low tide level,
growing up as high as possible, and being able to easily survive the spring
tides while exposed.

Austin

Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
Corals for Conservation
P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands

https://www.corals4conservation.org
Publication on C4C's coral-focused climate change adaptation strategies:
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/4/1/2/pdf
Film on our "Reefs of Hope" coral restoration for climate change adaptation
strategies:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG0lqKciXAA
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/
<https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-massive-coral-bleaching/>

On Sat, Aug 5, 2023 at 10:31 AM Douglas Fenner via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Thank you for informing us of this!!  Yes, corals can't be out of water for
> very long before they are in very deep trouble.  My guess is that they are
> dead before 2 hrs out in the air, maybe 1 hr, they may well suffer damage
> well before that.  I don't know of any studies of the effects of exposure
> to air on corals that report how long they can stand being in air or what
> the sublethal damage to them is for shorter periods out in the air.  But
> they are very sensitive to exposure to air.  Does anybody know any
> literature on this??
>
> On Fri, Aug 4, 2023 at 10:08 AM International Coral Reef Observatory via
> Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
> > Dear Colleagues,
> >
> >
> > In the urgency of rescuing coral colonies from Coral Bleaching areas,
> they
> > are being taken out of the sea to bring them without water ashore...
> > forgetting that they are marine animals!! Let's protect better
> > #LifeBelowWater Avoid lethal interventions that do not consider basic
> > science.
> >
> > https://twitter.com/ArrecifesCoral/status/1687552205816020992
> >
> >
> > Cordially,
> > Nohora Galvis
> > ICRS World Reef Award Winner
> > ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
> > International Coral Reef Observatory
> > Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
> > on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
> >
> >
> >
> > El jue, 27 jul 2023 a las 14:27, International Coral Reef Observatory (<
> > icrobservatory at gmail.com>) escribió:
> >
> > > Dear Colleagues,
> > >
> > > When we identify causes of degradation, we include climate change as
> > > global anthropogenic pollution and local impacts both caused by
> > > unsustainable development.  Therefore both are caused by intensive
> human
> > > activities that should be managed appropriately. That is why we support
> > > campaigns of global behavior change at the United Nations implementing
> > SDG
> > > 14 and SDG13. Coral reef scientists and in general Coral Listers should
> > > lead by example to avoid further greenhouse gases emissions and
> > destructive
> > > development, effective solutions need to find alternatives to stop
> global
> > > and local coral reef threats.
> > >
> > > The recent 100% mortality events in the Florida Keys are a result of
> > > cumulative stress from multiple factors. That is why we support
> > addressing
> > > the causes of degradation, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ONLY in palliative care
> or
> > > scaling up breaking coral colonies.
> > >
> > > Taking into account, Sutherland et al. (2023) while high temperature
> has
> > > been identified as an important cause of coral mortality in both
> > bleaching
> > > and disease scenarios, a predictive model for White Pox Disease (WPX)
> > risk
> > > in Acropora palmata (using 20 yr of disease surveys from the Florida
> Keys
> > > plus environmental information collected simultaneously in situ and via
> > > satellite) indicates that the relative influence of HotSpot (positive
> > > summertime temperature anomaly) was low and actually inversely related
> to
> > > WPX Risk. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03727
> > > Nohora Galvis
> > > ICRS World Reef Award Winner
> > > ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
> > > International Coral Reef Observatory
> > > Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
> > > on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
> > >
> > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> > > De: International Coral Reef Observatory <icrobservatory at gmail.com>
> > > Date: mar, 25 jul 2023 a las 17:12
> > > Subject: Coral reefs under threat
> > > To: Austin Bowden-Kerby <abowdenkerby at gmail.com>, <
> > helder.perez at gmail.com>,
> > > Sebastian Szereday <seb.szereday at gmail.com>, <nicrane at cabrillo.edu>, <
> > > jlang at riposi.net>, Alina Szmant <alina at cisme-instruments.com>, <
> > > sealab at earthlink.net>, Mark Tupper <mark.tupper at port.ac.uk>, coral
> list
> > <
> > > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > >
> > >
> > > In agreement with Judith, Alina and Nicole, there is an alert for
> > > interventions on coral reefs that promise to save them but it may
> > > actually may worsen the coral reef integrity.
> > >
> > > Reading carefully the paper: The Influence of Foureye Butterflyfish
> > > (Chaetodon capistratus) and Symbiodiniaceae on the Transmission of
> > > Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, Titus et al. (2022) have some
> > > suggestive evidence that butterflyfish do not directly increase
> > > infection rates, but instead might be increasing infection recovery
> > >    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.800423/full
> > >
> > > Increased coral mucus is a proof of stressed coral colonies.
> > > Considering Austin´s  message, if something has to be removed
> > > drastically from affected coral reefs is not the mucus eaters but the
> > > scaling up of coral fragmentation megaprojects that stress coral
> > > colonies and support unsustainable development (massive tourism,
> > > increased population in coral reef areas, enlargement of ports,
> > > channels, airports, prisons, etc).
> > >
> > > Taking into account that past local authorities in some case studies
> > > have stopped plans such as a prison in the Swan Island and an
> > > international airport on Tioman Island in Malaysia. The International
> > > Coral Reef Initiative, the International Coral Reef Society, the
> > > Society for Conservation Biology and UN SDG 14 envoys amongs many
> > > other organziations should play a more active role addressing the
> > > current decision makers of each country with respect and diplomatic
> > > SCIENTIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS according to their mission to avoid further
> > > catastrophes. Calling to actions to protect effectively life below
> > > water in coral reef areas of the world that will benefit all human
> > > beings.
> > >
> > > We as an International Coral Reef Observatory, are ready to support
> > > with letters if requested, to the top decision makers and shared the
> > > case studies where coral reefs are under threat, as well tagging in
> > > our social media the organizations encharged of the effective
> > > protection of coral reefs to promote global friendly environmental
> > > behavior and positive change to improve the conservation of coral
> > > reefs of the world.
> > >
> > > PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN TRYING TO CURE (or trying to restore
> > > afterwards) !! It is time to find alternatives to those developers who
> > > have coral reefs in the military target destroying ecosystems. The
> > > Blue Economy should not be based on paying A LOT to the justifiers of
> > > degradation, because the environmental cost will be higher sooner or
> > > later.
> > >
> > > Nohora Galvis
> > > ICRS World Reef Award Winner
> > > ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
> > > International Coral Reef Observatory
> > > Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
> > > on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
> > >
> > > El mar, 25 jul 2023 a las 15:07, Austin Bowden-Kerby via Coral-List
> > > (<coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>) escribió:
> > > >
> > > > Hi Alina,
> > > >
> > > > It's okay to be negative, as that is what scientists do- LOL!  I
> > > > understand completely. Less is best is what we all believe in.  So
> > > > your response is the sort of knee-jerk response I have come to
> expect.
> > > > I have been accused of "playing GOD" with coralliophila snail removal
> > > > in the Caribbean and Acanthaster removal in the Pacific in earlier
> > > > days as well.  Plus butterflyfish are beautiful, and they look so
> > > > gentle and innocent, and so I can understand that people's hearts
> > > > would tend to dominate their heads on this one.
> > > >
> > > > However, the corals have taken millions of years to evolve and their
> > > > future is on the line!  So if butterfly fish have even a slight
> chance
> > > > of being a primary means for transfer of SCTLD, the precautionary
> > > > principle in favor of the endangered species would remove them. If we
> > > > wait for all the facts to be published in peer reviewed journals, it
> > > > could be too late.  There are so few of the corals left, that removal
> > > > would translate to killing only a few hundred of the fish regionally.
> > > > The danger we face is not just to the Caribbean: coral reefs of
> > > > perhaps the entire planet are potentially at risk, due to the
> > > > ineffectiveness of ballast water protocols, so certainly any risk to
> a
> > > > few coral predators is insignificant to the overall protection of the
> > > > corals of the planet.
> > > >
> > > > In addition to the published Noonan and Childress study, establishing
> > > > the 4-eyes as potentially problematic, in 2004 in Honduras and
> Belize,
> > > > we found that the 4-eyes were the primary vector in the rapid tissue
> > > > loss disease in Acropora.   It appeared that they were intentionally
> > > > spreading the disease, so the tissues would lift off or something!
> > > > They would bite an infected area and then a non-diseased neighboring
> > > > branch and alternate.  However, a later paper by Noonan et al.
> > > > suggests that the fish might remove diseased tissues and therefore
> > > > help in the healing as well.  However the fish do not confine their
> > > > feeding to the dead tissues, so while it could indeed help the
> lesions
> > > > by removing infected tissues, at the same time it bites non infected
> > > > tissues and colonies, and thus is a prime suspect as a major vector
> in
> > > > spreading the disease.
> > > >
> > > > With any emerging problem like this, we must grab what we can and run
> > > > with it. But the precautionary principle has resulted in a paralysis
> > > > of will, as it is being interpreted wrongly, that to do nothing is
> > > > better than to err on the side of over-reacting.  We wait for peer
> > > > reviewed publications, which take years to come out, and we tend to
> > > > discount observations and unpublished work.  I find the same
> > > > conservativeness when dealing with mass coral death due to bleaching-
> > > > and there is no emergency working group to address mass coral
> > > > bleaching either, no pile of funds to use for experimental
> > > > interventions during active events.  The failure of the system to
> > > > control this disease and to address mass bleaching threatens the
> coral
> > > > reefs of the entire planet, and this reflects poorly on the
> scientific
> > > > community.  Massive funding for urgent research and action was needed
> > > > five years ago, to include sampling of genotypes of the species
> > > > affected to secure them in land-based systems, predator/ vector
> > > > removal experiments, and the like.
> > > >
> > > > Back to the Titanic analogy: The ship is sinking, and our operating
> > > > system requires that all lifeboats be fully inspected and proven
> > > > seaworthy before we allow them to be launched and for people to board
> > > > them, normally a good policy.  But the ship is now sinking rapidly,
> > > > but we continue as normal, as the system requires that all lifeboats
> > > > must be adequately inspected before launching!  The passengers that
> we
> > > > are supposed to be saving are now drowning.... so it is time to break
> > > > the rules, even if some lifeboats have holes in them and start
> > > > sinking, we can repair them as we go!
> > > >
> > > > Regards
> > > >
> > > > Austin
> > > >
> > > > Noonan, K.R., Childress, M.J. Association of butterflyfishes and
> stony
> > > > coral tissue loss disease in the Florida Keys. Coral Reefs 39,
> > > > 1581–1590 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-01986-8
> > > >
> > > > The Influence of Foureye Butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) and
> > > > Symbiodiniaceae on the Transmission of Stony Coral Tissue Loss
> Disease
> > > > Kara Titus, Lauren O’Connell, Kristiaan Matthee, Michael Childress
> > > > Front. Mar. Sci., 21 March 2022.  Sec. Coral Reef Research Volume 9 -
> > > > 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.800423
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> > > > Corals for Conservation
> > > > P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands
> > >
> > >
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