If we take care
of our ocean reefs and protect our forests, we'll take care of...
Carole Kotkin is manager
of the Ocean Reef Club cooking school and co-author of «Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.»
Not exact matches
With all this
ocean comes a variety
of water sports, like scuba diving with manta rays off Islas Marietas, boating around Los Arcos»
reefs, and parasailing off
of the popular Playa Los Muertos, but Puerto Vallarta really becomes alive when the sun dips below the horizon; steamy salsa clubs light up the streets, and rowdy local bars supply a steady stream
of cervesa for the thirsty traveler.
That bad news for
reefs is also bad news for the rest
of the
ocean and for humanity, since we depend on the planet's seas.
A huge proportion
of life depends on them —
reefs cover less than 1 %
of the
ocean floor, yet 25 %
of fish species spend some part
of their life cycles in them.
Not only is the
reef threatened by widespread bleaching as a result
of rising
ocean temperatures, but the project also requires the major expansion
of the Abbot Point port in Queensland.
Coral
reefs are dying: We've already lost half the world's coral because
of human activity like dredging the sea floor, pollution, and emitting greenhouse gases that warm
ocean waters and make them more acidic.
But perhaps more importantly, 25 %
of fish species spend some part
of their life cycle in
reefs, despite the fact that they cover less than 1 %
of the
ocean floor.
The storm threatened to destroy years
of work that's crucial to the future
of coral
reefs around the world and the health
of our
oceans.
The new report «Lights Out for the
Reef», written by University of Queensland coral reef biologist Selina Ward, noted that reefs were vulnerable to several different effects of climate change; including rising sea temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in the ocean, which causes acidificat
Reef», written by University
of Queensland coral
reef biologist Selina Ward, noted that reefs were vulnerable to several different effects of climate change; including rising sea temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in the ocean, which causes acidificat
reef biologist Selina Ward, noted that
reefs were vulnerable to several different effects
of climate change; including rising sea temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in the
ocean, which causes acidification.
Efforts include but are not limited to: developing and implementing marine habitat protection and restoration strategies, conducting ongoing coral
reef research, training individuals in marine ecosystem research and management, as well as animal husbandry, the rescue, rehabilitation and release
of marine wildlife including sea turtles, manatees and dolphins, creating programs to heighten public awareness
of the
ocean and its inhabitants and delivering marine education programs to communities and schools.
Lionfish University is made up
of a group
of divers dedicated to the preservation
of the
ocean's
reefs and native fish populations, which are threatened by the Lionfish invasion in the Caribbean.
Presented by Chef's Roll and sponsored by Meat Livestock Australia, Front
of the House, and MIC Food, the scintillating showdown saw Ryan Peters, Sous Chef at
Ocean Reef Club take on Louis Robinson, Chef / Owner
of Spice.
A traveling exhibit featuring massive, colorful sculptures
of familiar
ocean animals including
reef fishes, sharks, octopus, penguins, sea lions and more made entirely
of plastic marine debris removed from West Coast beaches.
THE Great Barrier
Reef has been so severely damaged by record
ocean heat that it will never be the same again in our lifetimes or those
of our grandchildren.
A complex coral
reef full
of nooks and crannies is a coastline's best defense against large
ocean waves.
There are clues that these species may fare better than their stony counterparts after a disaster, but more research needs to be done to understand how storms, warming waters and
ocean acidification can alter the composition
of reefs and whether these changes are permanent or short - lived, Lasker says.
Groundwater that seeps into the coastal zone beneath the
ocean's surface — termed submarine groundwater discharge (SGD)-- is an important source
of fresh water and nutrients to nearshore coral
reefs throughout the globe.
The recent hurricanes presented a rare opportunity for Lasker and Edmunds to study how corals recover from disasters — an important line
of research in a warming world where rising
ocean temperatures are stressing
reefs.
«We know that increased
ocean temperatures are one
of the major threats to coral
reefs worldwide.
A recently published study, led by researchers at the University
of Hawai'i at M?noa's School
of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), sheds light on the ways SGD affects coral
reef growth.
While coral
reefs make up less than 0.1 percent
of the sea floor, they serve as habitats for about 25 percent to 35 percent
of all the
oceans» fishes, roughly 500 million people worldwide rely on them as a source
of protein and for coastal protection, and they are responsible for billions
of dollars in tourism and fisheries revenue.
Ocean seagrass meadows reduce bacteria unhealthful to humans and marine organisms by up to 50 %, a new study shows, and they also decrease the likelihood
of disease in coral
reefs by half.
The 10 richest centers
of endemism cover 15.8 %
of the world's coral
reefs (0.012 %
of the
oceans) but include between 44.8 and 54.2 %
of the restricted - range species.
It takes time to cover something as large as the world's
oceans, so the 2,000 - plus census takers from more than 80 countries have broken up their assignment into 17 more manageable subgroups — like coral
reefs, continental shelves, and mid-ocean ridges — that should provide a good overview
of what's out there.
«Our aim was to explore the effect
of a more acidic
ocean on every gene in the coral genome,» says study lead author Dr Aurelie Moya, a molecular ecologist with the ARC Centre
of Excellence for Coral
Reef Studies at James Cook University.
Each programme covered a different type
of ocean environment from the deep to coral
reefs, so each interactive module broadly matched the subject.
Shallow coral
reefs from the water's surface to 30 - 40 metres depth are the tip
of the iceberg that comprises the
ocean's extensive coral ecosystem.
«A glimmer
of hope for corals as baby
reef builders cope with acidifying
oceans.»
While the threat
of coral bleaching as a result
of climate change poses a serious risk to the future
of coral
reefs world wide, new research has found that some baby corals may be able to cope with the negative effects
of ocean acidification.
An international team examining the impact
of ocean acidification on coral has found that a key
reef - building coral can, over a relatively short period
of time, acclimate to a doubling
of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
So this work provides a glimmer
of hope that coral
reefs can attenuate the effects
of ocean acidification.»
«The beauty
of this study is that easily acquired measures
of reef complexity and depth provide a means
of predicting long term consequences
of ocean warming events,» Dr Wilson says.
Back in the lab, they will analyze the mosaics to see how the
reefs are changing over time, and how the variation
of ocean conditions and human activities impact each
reef.
However, with the onset
of the monsoon the new
ocean circulations patterns began to emerge that were not favorable to the islands» coral
reefs.
Now they were using their days in Aquarius to zero in on the causes
of ocean acidification, which may be contributing to the degradation
of coral
reefs.
The
ocean around the Galápagos Islands has been warming since the 1970s, according to a new analysis
of the natural temperature archives stored in coral
reefs.
Greater acidity also «impairs their ability to discriminate between the smell
of kin and not, and
of predators and not,» according Philip Munday, a professor and research fellow at the Coral
Reef Studies center at James Cook University in Australia, who conducted the experiments and presented results at a symposium here this week called The
Ocean in a High - CO2 World.
When a
reef backsteps, the
ocean - facing side
of the
reef breaks up incoming waves just enough to allow the
reef to build up a vertical step.
Other speakers at the briefing included award - winning conservationist Jim Toomey, who created the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, filmmaker Jon Bowermaster, an award - winning writer and filmmaker recently named one
of a dozen
Ocean Heroes by the National Geographic Society, and Luke Creswell, who co-directed the award - winning large - format films Wild
Ocean and The Last
Reef: Cities Beneath The Sea.
More than 540 international expeditions sailed to coral
reefs, hydrothermal vents, seamounts, and open
ocean waters to assemble a comprehensive picture
of the diversity, habitats, and abundance
of animals and microbes living in the sea.
Federal protection could slow the destruction
of coral
reefs, which are devastated by increasing water temperatures and the rise
of ocean acidification
Among other examples
of local and regional tipping points are the rapid collapse
of coral
reefs in the face
of rising
ocean acidity and the transformation
of ecosystems by the extinction
of a dominant species, or the introduction
of a new one.
Scientists already knew that
ocean acidification was preventing coral from producing the material that forms the building blocks
of reefs.
As contemporary signs
of global warming, Schneider and his colleagues point to rapidly melting polar icecaps,
ocean acidification, loss
of coral
reefs, longer - lasting droughts, more devastating wildfires, and rising sea level.
«It's estimated that 95 percent
of the livable space on our planet is in the
ocean,» said Carole Baldwin, curator
of fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum
of Natural History, lead author
of the study and director
of the Smithsonian's Deep
Reef Observation Project (DROP).
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument spans 140,000 square miles
of ocean, island, and
reef.
As corals die due to warming
oceans (SN: 2/3/18, p. 16), the overall complexity
of the
reef also diminishes, leaving a coast potentially more exposed.
Bizarrely, the
reef doesn't appear to be suffering from the effects
of ocean acidification just yet.
TURTLE TROUBLE Green sea turtle populations in parts
of the Great Barrier
Reef are becoming increasingly female because their eggs are being incubated at higher temperatures due to warming
ocean waters.