Great Barrier Reef Has Maybe 20 Years Left - Bleaching Experts

[hatrack]

MARINE scientists say global warming could transform the Great Barrier Reef into a bleached maze of dead coral within 20 years. The warning comes amid bleaching over the summer near the Keppel Islands, which threatens to spread to large sections of the World Heritage-listed reef.

Australian Institute of Marine Science coral bleaching expert Ray Berkelmans said the damage - which occurs when warm temperatures rob the coral of nutrition - may mark the start of the reef's demise. "Background temperatures have reached the level where every summer we are getting to dangerous conditions," he said. "It will be a gradual decline - patch by patch and species group by species group from one area one after the other."

The damage to the environment will also hurt the economy. The reef is worth $5.8 billion to the national economy, employs more than 60,000 people and is visited by more than two million tourists each year.

EDIT

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell said the Government was committed to addressing climate change and aimed to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 85 million tonnes. "We are investing $2 million to develop an action plan to increase the resilience of the reef and we have the best scientists monitoring and working on this issue," he said.



EDIT/END

There, see that?!? They're going to study it some more, and they're going to cut global GHGs by at least 9/10ths of 1%!!

http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,18051647%255E421,00.html

[HereSince1628]

1. Pray for recolonization and secondary succession.

There are still lots of larvae floating around the oceans, as long as the reef stays in the light there is a chance it will be "discovered" and colonized.

Not saying it will be the same, but recolonization is a hope. Hopefully, the Australians, New Zealanders and folks in New Guinea are going to be collecting and maintaining stocks to foster that.

[phantom power]

2. The "best sciensts" can study bleaching. They can learn from it. But...

that doesn't mean they can stop it. But hey, maybe if they can hire just enough sciensts to look at it long enough, it will all turn out OK in the end.

[phantom power]

3. Hope they don't miss that $5.8 billion a year.

It's a good thing they blew off Kyoto. It would have been bad for business.