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<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446</id><updated>2024-04-13T09:43:47.308+08:00</updated><category term="global"/><category term="singapore"/><category term="marine"/><category term="best-of-wild-blogs"/><category term="forests"/><category term="extreme-nature"/><category term="global-biodiversity"/><category term="singaporeans-and-nature"/><category term="climate-pact"/><category term="shores"/><category term="urban-development"/><category term="wildlife-trade"/><category term="haze"/><category term="food"/><category term="water"/><category term="green-energy"/><category term="reduce-reuse-recycle"/><category term="reefs"/><category term="pollution"/><category term="rising-seas"/><category term="overfishing"/><category term="climate-change"/><category term="fossil-fuels"/><category term="transport"/><category term="global-marine"/><category term="diseases"/><category term="singapore-general"/><category term="freshwater-ecosystems"/><category term="mangroves"/><category term="big-cats"/><category term="birds"/><category term="marine-litter"/><category term="sea-turtles"/><category term="elephants"/><category term="palm-oil"/><category term="human-wildlife-conflict"/><category term="singapore-biodiversity"/><category term="eco-tourism"/><category term="primates"/><category term="plastic-bags"/><category term="oil-spills"/><category term="dolphins"/><category term="aquaculture"/><category term="whales"/><category term="carbon-trading"/><category term="sharks-fins"/><category term="consumerism"/><category 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term="johor-reclamation"/><category term="acid-oceans"/><category term="carbon-capture"/><category term="climate-adaptation"/><category term="pricing-nature"/><category term="wind-energy"/><category term="pinnipeds"/><category term="ClimateActionSG"/><category term="individual-action"/><category term="cross-island-line"/><category term="wild-boar"/><category term="wetlands"/><category term="bottled-water"/><category term="volunteer-opportunities"/><category term="otters"/><category term="tapirs"/><category term="tidal-power"/><category term="green-web"/><category term="weather"/><category term="geothermal"/><category term="bukom-fire"/><category term="new-publication"/><category term="hydrogen-energy"/><category term="bats"/><category term="latest-publication"/><category term="gobal-biodiversity"/><title type='text'>wildsingapore news</title><subtitle type='html'>environmental news for singaporeans</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/-/bleaching-events'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/search/label/bleaching-events'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/-/bleaching-events/-/bleaching-events?start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>334</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-1674467625030509375</id><published>2019-08-31T14:29:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-08-31T15:12:40.702+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="extreme-nature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Great Barrier Reef outlook very poor, Australia says</title><content type='html'><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-49520949">BBC</a> 30 Aug 19;
 
The Great Barrier Reef's outlook has been officially downgraded from poor to very poor due to climate change. 
 
Rising sea temperatures thanks to human-driven global warming remain the biggest threat to the reef, a five-year Australian government report says. 
 
Actions to save it "have never been more time critical", the report reads. 
 
Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles), the reef was designated a World Heritage site in 1981 for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance". 
 
But in recent years the reef has been increasingly damaged by warmer seas which have killed off coral and affected its long-term health. 
<a name='more'></a> 
Unesco's World Heritage Committee is due to consider adding the reef to its list of sites that are "in danger". 
 
The massive report documents the condition of the reef and its outlook for the future. 
 
What does the report say? 
 
Under Australian law, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) must produce a report on the state of the World Heritage site every five years. 
 
In the first report in 2009 scientists said the reef was "at a crossroads between a positive, well-managed future and a less certain one". The second report in 2014 ranked it as "an icon under pressure" with efforts needed to fight key threats. 
 
"Since then, the region has further deteriorated and, in 2019, Australia is caring for a changed and less resilient reef," the most recent report states. 
 
Rising sea temperatures caused "mass bleaching events" in 2016 and 2017 that wiped out coral and destroyed habitats for other sea life. While some habitats remain in a good state, the condition of the site as a whole is worsening. 
 
"Threats to the reef are multiple, cumulative and increasing," the report says. "The window of opportunity to improve the Reef's long-term future is now." 
 
Scientists say the number of new corals plummeted by 89% on the reef thanks to recent bleaching events, which affected a 1,500km stretch. 
 
Australia pledged A$500 million (£276m) to protect the reef last year. 
 
Can we save the reef? 
 
Since the report was released, environmentalist groups have been calling for greater global action to tackle the climate crisis, and for the Great Barrier Reef to be given extra protections. 
 
Imogen Zethoven, director of strategy for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said: "We can turn this around, but only if the prime minister cares enough to lead a government that wants to save it. And saving it means being a leader here and internationally to bring greenhouse gas emissions down. 
 
"This is now the third Outlook Report. We've had 10 years of warnings, 10 years of rising greenhouse emissions and 10 years watching the Reef heading for a catastrophe." 
 
Addressing reporters in Sydney, the GBRMPA's chief scientist, David Wachenfeld, agreed the reef's problems were "largely driven by climate change". 
 
"Despite that, with the right mix of local actions to improve the resilience of the system and global actions to tackle climate change in the strongest and fastest way possible, we can turn that around," he added.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1674467625030509375'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1674467625030509375'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/08/great-barrier-reef-outlook-very-poor.html' title='Great Barrier Reef outlook very poor, Australia says'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-6021565966318135915</id><published>2019-07-17T13:37:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-07-17T13:58:02.682+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="climate-change"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="extreme-nature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pollution"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thirty-year study reveals cause of coral bleaching crisis</title><content type='html'>Brooks Hays <a href="https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/07/16/Thirty-year-study-reveals-cause-of-coral-bleaching-crisis/2161563296853/">UPI</a> 16 Jul 19;
 
July 16 (UPI) -- Corals are disappearing across the world's oceans, and most scientists have pointed to warming water temperatures -- the result of climate change -- as the primary driver. But new research suggests nitrogen pollution is the main cause of coral bleaching in Florida. 
 
The study, published this week in the journal Marine Biology, was compiled using three-decades worth of observational data collected at the Looe Key Reef in the lower Florida Keys. 
 
"Our results provide compelling evidence that nitrogen loading from the Florida Keys and greater Everglades ecosystem caused by humans, rather than warming temperatures, is the primary driver of coral reef degradation at Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area," lead study author Brian Lapointe, research professor at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said in a news release. 
<a name='more'></a> 
Data collected at the test site showed nutrient runoff has boosted the nitrogen-phosphorus ratio in reef algae. As more and more treated sewage and fertilizers from commercial farms rinse into local waterways and flood the oceans with nutrients, including reactive nitrogen, corals are unable to absorb sufficient levels of phosphorous. 
 
RELATED Coral species prefers microplastics to real food 
According to the new research, phosphorous-starvation lowers the temperature threshold for coral bleaching and increases the chances of coral disease and mortality among reefs. 
 
The symbiotic relationship between coral polyps and the microalgae that provide them food evolved in a low-nutrient environment. Human-caused nutrient loading is disrupting a balance achieved over millions of years. 
 
In addition to measuring the levels of nutrients in macroalgae, or seaweed, among Looe Key reefs, scientists also monitored changes in temperature and salinity. To better understand how nitrogen makes its way to the lower Florida Keys, researchers analyzed nutrient gradients between the Everglades and Looe Key. 
 
In 1984, coral cover in the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area was estimated at 33 percent. By 2008, it was just 6 percent. Today, it's less than 4 percent. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has the lowest coral cover of anywhere in the Caribbean. 
 
Scientists found periods of accelerated coral decline followed heavy periods of rainfall and water releases from the Everglades. The correlation highlighted the negative impacts of nutrient loading on coral health. 
 
Climate models suggest the region will experience increasing levels of rainfall. Rising water temperatures, however, will only make matters worse, researchers warn. 
 
The new research doesn't discount the negative impacts of global warming on coral health. Coral bleaching has occurred in several remote reefs mostly unaffected by land-based nutrient runoff. But the findings are a reminder that coral face a diversity of threats. 
 
"Citing climate change as the exclusive cause of coral reef demise worldwide misses the critical point that water quality plays a role, too," said study co-author James W. Porter, emeritus professor of ecology at the University of Georgia. "While there is little that communities living near coral reefs can do to stop global warming, there is a lot they can do to reduce nitrogen runoff. Our study shows that the fight to preserve coral reefs requires local, not just global, action."</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6021565966318135915'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6021565966318135915'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/thirty-year-study-reveals-cause-of.html' title='Thirty-year study reveals cause of coral bleaching crisis'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-6583693447782005423</id><published>2019-07-12T09:42:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-07-12T10:01:35.207+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global-marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Australia: Great Barrier Reef hard coral cover close to record lows</title><content type='html'>Coral bleaching, crown-of-thorns starfish and cyclones reduced coverage to 10% to 30% over past five years
Adam Morton <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/11/great-barrier-reef-hard-coral-cover-close-to-record-lows">The Guardian</a> 11 Jul 19; 
 
Hard coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef is near record lows in its northern stretch and in decline in the south, surveys by government scientists have found. 
 
A report card by the government’s Australian Institute of Marine Science says hard coral cover in the northern region above Cooktown is at 14% – a slight increase on last year but close to the lowest since monitoring began in 1985. 
 
A series of “disturbances” – coral bleaching linked to rising water temperatures, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and tropical cyclones – have caused hard coral cover to decline to between 10% and 30% across much of the world heritage landmark over the past five years. 
 
Mike Emslie, the institute’s acting head of long-term monitoring, said the report included glimmers of hope: individual reefs, including those on the outer shelf in the Whitsunday Islands, were found to have lively communities and tiny juvenile corals were discovered across the 2,300km reef system. The density of juvenile coral suggested recovery was possible if there were not further disturbances. 
 
He said it indicated there was some resilience in the system but added: “The important thing is the absence of further disturbances. If we have more coral bleaching events all bets are off.” 
<a name='more'></a> 
The northern and central sections of the reef were hit by back-to-back mass bleaching events as ocean heating increased in early 2016 and 2017, killing vast areas of coral. A study led by Terry Hughes, the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, found 30% of coral died after the 2016 heatwave alone. 
 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientists estimated 99% of corals across the globe are likely to be lost if the climate crisis is not addressed and global heating reaches 2C. 
 
The Institute of Marine Science report warns the extent of hard coral in the north may be even lower than the 14% estimated due to skewed surveying – the greatest bleaching damage was on inshore reefs and they were under-represented in surveys due to safety concerns. The highest level of coral reef cover recorded in the north was 30% in 1988. 
 
Emslie said the reef’s southern section had escaped the worst effects of coral bleaching and cyclones since 2009 but has been affected by a severe outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish since 2017. Crown-of-thorns feed on coral and spawns so rapidly it is difficult to tackle once it takes hold. Its spread has been linked to nitrogen from fertiliser and pesticides in agricultural run-off. 
 
He said the starfish had a particularly devastating impact in the Swain Reefs national park, more than 100km off the coast between Rockhampton and Mackay. Across the south, hard coral cover is 24%, down from a high of 43% three decades ago. 
 
The central region, from Airlie Beach to north of Cairns, has been significantly damaged by Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 and the crown-of-thorns’ southward spread. Hard coral cover fell from 14% to 12% last year. It was 22% just three years ago. 
 
The broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough made headlines this week when he told a UK parliamentary committee that the change to the Great Barrier Reef was one of the clearest examples of the climate crisis he had witnessed. He said it was extraordinary that people in power in Australia remained in denial about the scale of the problem. 
 
Environment group the Australian Marine Conservation Society said the latest government data showed coral decline was happening on an unparalleled scale, mainly due to the climate crisis. The society’s spokeswoman, Shani Tager, said the reef remained a dynamic place that was home to thousands of animals and supported 64,000 tourism jobs but was in serious trouble. 
 
“We need our governments to act fast,” she said. 
 
The science record card coincided with the release of an annual work plan by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a formerly small organisation that was last year granted $443m in public funding despite not having applied for it. 
 
The foundation plans to spend $58m this financial year focusing on improving water quality, managing crown-of-thorns starfish and collaborating with the tourism industry to engage visitors in citizen science activities. Anna Marsden, the foundation’s managing director, said innovation would be at the heart of a reef restoration and adaptation program run in collaboration with leading marine science institutions. 
 
Richard Leck, from the World Wide Fund for Nature, said the report card showed Australia needed to urgently reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate a transition to a clean economy. 
 
• This story was amended on 12 July 2019 to correct the statement that hard coral cover had declined by between 10% and 30% in the past five years. It has declined to between 10% and 30%.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6583693447782005423'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6583693447782005423'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/australia-great-barrier-reef-hard-coral.html' title='Australia: Great Barrier Reef hard coral cover close to record lows'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-3581243646153261560</id><published>2019-06-13T07:31:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2019-06-13T08:14:32.608+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Devastating coral bleaching around French Polynesia</title><content type='html'><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/2018699275/devastating-coral-bleaching-around-french-polynesia">RNZ</a> 12 Jun 19;
 
A coral bleaching around the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Mo'orea is being described as the most devastating seen in years. 
 
But what's worried scientists most is that it took them by surprise. 
<a name='more'></a> 
As ocean temperatures continue to warm because of climate change, they say that could be devastating for the Pacific - and the planet -- because coral reefs are vital. 
 
Jamie Tahana reports.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3581243646153261560'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3581243646153261560'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/06/devastating-coral-bleaching-around.html' title='Devastating coral bleaching around French Polynesia'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-5443869349093499323</id><published>2019-06-01T18:55:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-06-01T18:57:31.830+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thailand: Coral bleaching off Koh Phi Phi</title><content type='html'>Kritsada Mueanhawong <a href="https://thethaiger.com/news/krabi/coral-bleaching-off-koh-phi-phi">The Thaiger</a> 31 May 19;
 
Corals at Koh Phi Phi near a famous driving point has started to bleach. 
 
Paranya Pantajit, a scuba expert in Krabi says, “Corals near a famous diving point at Koh Phi Phi is beaching. There are many marine lives living around this coral.” 
 
“The temperature at 8 metres deep in the sea is about 31 degree Celsius. Corals in in other islands in Krabi have started to bleach as well.” 
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Chief of Hat Nopparat Thara Moh Koh Phi Phi National Park Worapot Lomlim says, “The water temperature has started to decrease as it is in monsoon season with some rain now. The coral bleaching situation will hopefully start to lessen.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/5443869349093499323'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/5443869349093499323'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/06/thailand-coral-bleaching-off-koh-phi-phi.html' title='Thailand: Coral bleaching off Koh Phi Phi'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-7069973755009510279</id><published>2019-05-27T10:24:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-27T10:39:42.157+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>India: Coral bleaching intensifies in Gulf of Mannar</title><content type='html'>THOOTHUKUDI <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/coral-bleaching-intensifies-in-gulf-of-mannar/article27254387.ece">The Hindu</a> 26 May 19;
 
The intensity of coral bleaching has increased in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay in May. However, no mortality has been witnessed so far. 
 
While the prevalence of bleaching was less than 3% during April in the Gulf of Mannar, it has increased significantly in May. 
 
During a rapid survey conducted from May 15-23 by the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, a total of nine reef areas including two reef areas in Thoothukudi group (Vaan, Koswari and Kariyachalli Islands), three in Mandapam Group (Shingle, Krusadai and Hare Islands), three others in Keelakarai group (Mulli, Valai and Thalaiyari Islands) and reefs in Palk Bay were surveyed. 
 
In the Keelakarai group, which was the most affected, the prevalence of bleaching has increased significantly up to 35% (Mulli Island) from 3% in April. In the Mandapam group (Krusadai Island), the bleaching went up from 6% to 28% during the period. Twelve percent of corals have suffered bleaching in Palk Bay. 
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The high temperature level of 32.1º C in April that caused bleaching, has now simmered down to 30.2º C. “If the temperature level drops further, corals would recover back to normal, and if not, bleaching would undoubtedly lead to mortality,” said J.K. Patterson Edward, Director, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute. 
 
While massive corals were the first to be affected due to elevated temperature, it was followed by branching coral species. 
 
Earlier, the third and longest global coral bleaching from 2014 to 2017 had caused severe coral mortality, following which no mass coral bleaching events were witnessed in 2017 and 2018. 
 
So far in 2019, coral bleaching has been reported in reef regions including Lord Howe Island in Australia, French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Moorea and Thailand. Closer home, bleaching has been witnessed in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. 
 
Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar suffer mass bleaching as temp rises 
<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/coral-reefs-in-the-gulf-of-mannar-suffer-mass-bleaching-as-temp-rises/articleshow/69510483.cms">Times of India</a> 27 May 19; 
 
Madurai: The coral cover in the Gulf of Mannar (GoM), an important aspect of the marine ecosystem, is under threat yet again as the soaring summer temperature has led to coral bleaching. It should be noted that in 2016, GoM experienced a rampant mortality of corals due to severe bleaching, which had led to the depletion of the coral reef cover from around 39% in 2015 to 23% in 2016. Since then, the depleted reef cover was slowly recovering until the bleaching started again a month ago.
 
Bleaching was observed in the second week of April by the Reef Research Team (RRT) of Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) in Tuticorin. The team has been continuously monitoring the situation since then. “The intensity of bleaching was comparatively low in April, but it increased this month,” scientist and assistant professor at SDMRI K Diraviya Raj said. He mentioned that in the islands around Tuticorin, the rate of bleaching was less than 3% during April but increased to 12% in May. In Keelakarai (in Ramanathapuram district) group of islands, it saw a rise from 3% in April to 35%. In Mandapam (in Ramanathapuram district) group, coral bleaching was around 6% during April, but it went up to as high as 28% in May. At Palk Bay, the rate of coral bleaching was 12%.
 
Though there is heavy bleaching, no mortality has been witnessed so far. The corals are in the risk of bleaching when the surface temperature of the sea crosses 30°C. It was the high temperature of 32.1°C in April that caused widespread bleaching in GoM, but winds brought down the temperature by 2°C in the past few weeks. “It is hoped that the temperature will dip further and corals would recover back to normalcy. But if the temperature lingers on higher levels, corals in GoM are likely to suffer from another episode of mass mortality,” Diraviya Raj said.
 
While global warming is the most important reason for coral bleaching, at GoM, experts said that coral mining and destructive fishing practices are the cause of coral degradation in the area. The total reef area at GoM is 110 square km. 
 
Coral reefs form an ideal habitat for several commercially-important fishes including snappers, groupers, and shrimps. They also form an ideal place of breeding for fishes. Experts said that coral bleaching causes adverse effects to the marine ecosystem and also significantly affect the fishing community around GoM as well. ","tn":"text"},{"tn":"br"},{"value":"“Corals are the main source of productivity for fishing villages along GoM. If corals are affected, it would directly lead to the decrease in fish population,” senior scientist, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CSRI-CECRI) J Ravindran told TOI. He said that more than bleaching it was its ‘secondary effect’ (poor quality of water and pollution) that poses bigger threat to the corals. “The secondary effect is nothing but the growth of algae over corals, which leads to the mortality of the latter. This is due to poor ecological conditions,” Ravindran added.
 
Experts said that ideal coral cover would mean that the impact of tsunami would be significantly less, as the corals serve as natural barriers. They also claimed that coral reefs are important sources of medicines to treat cancer and other diseases. 
 
</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/7069973755009510279'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/7069973755009510279'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/india-coral-bleaching-intensifies-in.html' title='India: Coral bleaching intensifies in Gulf of Mannar'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4579010522002020025</id><published>2019-05-26T09:30:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-26T14:55:49.916+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thailand: Coral bleaching situation begins to improve</title><content type='html'><a href="https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/coral-bleaching-situation-in-thailand-begins-to-improve-255681">NNT</a> 26 May 19;
 
Bangkok – Jatuphorn Burusphat, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), says a recent inspection of the coral in Thailand’s national marine parks has shown an improvement on the bleaching situation in many areas. 
 
It was found that most coral bleaching in 51 areas in the Andaman Sea and 72 areas in the Gulf of Thailand has started to improve due to the arrival of the rainy season, which decreases sea temperatures. Most of the affected corals have begun to recover but are still pale. 
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The DMCR Director General reiterated that coral bleaching occurs when corals are weak, so members of the public are asked to be especially careful in carrying out activities on reefs that may have increased effects on corals, such as not disposing of garbage and sewage in the sea and avoiding touching corals or standing on them.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4579010522002020025'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4579010522002020025'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/thailand-coral-bleaching-situation.html' title='Thailand: Coral bleaching situation begins to improve'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4674866583999356388</id><published>2019-05-23T16:30:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-23T17:22:31.225+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>India: Coral bleaching observed near Mandapam, Keezhakkarai, Palk Bay</title><content type='html'>Shubashree Desikan <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/coral-bleaching-observed-near-mandapam-keezhakkarai-palk-bay/article27206124.ece">The Hindu</a> 22 May 19;
 
When a coral bleaches, it does not die but comes pretty close to it. Some of the corals may survive the experience and recover once the sea surface temperature returns to normal levels. 
 
The National Centre for Coastal Research, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in India, has a field research station in the Gulf of Mannar region, and researchers led by Dr. Shanmugaraj have found an alarming pattern of bleaching in the reefs in Mandapam, Keezhakkarai and Palk Bay. They have found that sea surface temperature ranged from 28.7°C to 31°C in the August 2018-February 2019 period and there was no bleaching seen then. However, when the temperatures rose to between 32°C and 36°C between March 2019 and May 2019, researchers observed a pattern of bleaching in corals, which was different at different layers within the sea.
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About 12% of coral species observed at depths between 0m and 2m such as Porites solida, Poritis lutea, Montipora digitate, Acropora hyacinthus were completely bleached. About 5% of species observed at depths between 2m and 4m such as Acropora formosa, Acropora hyacinthus, Montipora digitata, Montipora foliosa, Pocillopora damicornis, Goniastrea retiformis, Platygyra sinensis, Dipsastrea favus, Dipsastrea speciosa were partially bleached. Porites species observed in Palk Bay region were completely bleached at depths from zero to 4 metres. Corals at depths over 5m did not face bleaching.
 
In some sites the massive corals such as Porites species were completely bleached but branching corals such as Montipora digitata and Acropora species, were not bleached. 
 
Coral reefs are important hotspots of biodiversity in the ocean. Corals are animals in the same class (Cnidaria) as jellyfish and anemones. They consist of individual polyps that get together and build reefs. Coral reefs support a wide range of species and maintain the quality of the coastal biosphere. Corals control the level of carbon dioxide in the water by converting it into a limestone shell. If this process does not take place, the amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean water would increase significantly and affect ecological niches.
 
Coral reefs are threatened by climate change. When the sea surface temperature increases beyond a tolerable limit, they undergo a process of bleaching. Basically bleaching is when the corals expel a certain algae known as zooxanthellae, which lives in the tissues of the coral in a symbiotic relationship. About 90% of the energy of the coral is provided by the zooxanthellae which are endowed with chlorophyll and other pigments. They are responsible for the yellow or reddish brown colours of the host coral. In addition the zooxanthellae can live as endosymbionts with jellyfish also.
 
When a coral bleaches, it does not die but comes pretty close to it. Some of the corals may survive the experience and recover once the sea surface temperature returns to normal levels.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4674866583999356388'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4674866583999356388'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/india-coral-bleaching-observed-near.html' title='India: Coral bleaching observed near Mandapam, Keezhakkarai, Palk Bay'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4456355157476232254</id><published>2019-05-21T14:23:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-21T14:32:19.635+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Coral bleaching event underway in French Polynesia despite no El Nino</title><content type='html'>Jo Khan <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-05-21/coral-bleaching-french-polynesia/11129634">ABC</a> 21 May 19;
 
Widespread coral bleaching has been reported in the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Moorea, even though there was no El Nino event this year. 
 
Key points: 
More than 50 per cent of coral reefs around Tahiti and Moorea have been bleached 
Bleached corals have been observed as deep as 100 metres 
Scientists are concerned the lack of climate action will spell the end of the world's reefs 
 
The reefs are among the most regularly bleached in the world, thanks to their position in the path of warm waters that spread west from South America during El Nino years. 
 
This year, however, without the presence of an El Nino and the warmer water it brings, the reefs should have been spared. 
 
But in the last few days, it's been estimated that 50 to 60 per cent of corals on reefs around Tahiti and Moorea have been bleached, according to marine biologist Luiz Rocha from the Californian Academy of Sciences. 
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"I've seen the reports of the Great Barrier Reef bleaching, but this is the first time I've seen [bleaching] myself, and it hits you a lot harder," Dr Rocha said. 
 
"We have seen bleaching all the way down to 100 metres. But it's worst on the shallow, sheltered reefs." 
 
Coral bleaching occurs when high water temperatures cause the coral to expel its symbiotic algae, revealing the white skeleton beneath. 
 
Other research groups in the region have similarly reported bleaching on both sides of Tahiti, as water temperatures remain unusually high for this time of year. 
 
"It's seems to be only the southern portion of French Polynesia that's bleaching, but definitely Tahiti and Moorea are severely bleached," Dr Rocha said. 
 
"This is not a localised thing, it seems to be widespread." 
 
In March, when the region's waters remained unusually warm, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a bleaching warning. 
 
But Dr Rocha said he did not expect the magnitude of bleaching that he'd seen. 
 
"I was overwhelmed by sadness because I saw these reefs looking really healthy just two months ago." 
 
Uncertain whether bleached corals will recover 
 
If the water temperature drops in the next week or so, the bleached corals may survive and regain their symbiotic algae. But scientists on the islands haven't seen a drop in temperature yet. 
 
"Already about half of the bleached corals we've seen are dead," Dr Rocha said. 
 
"But we won't know for certain for a few weeks." 
 
Bleaching causes baby coral numbers to plummet 
 
The sight of the bleaching was shocking to coral microbiologist Andrew Thurber from Oregan State University who also recently conducted surveys in Moorea. 
 
"When I first got in the water I was completely disoriented. It was a carpet of white," Dr Thurber said. 
 
"In our initial surveys we found over 90 per cent of the dominant coral species on the front reef were at least partially if not entirely bleached," he said. 
 
"The reef there is currently on a knife edge, and we won't know if it recovers for some time. 
 
"This bleaching was indiscriminate and if anything, worse at the normally healthy reefs." 
 
If there is enough time for recovery between bleaching events — which increasingly there isn't — the corals that bounce back will be weedier, more resilient species, according to coral reef scientist Terry Hughes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. 
 
"We've seen in the Great Barrier Reef that we have winners and losers in terms of susceptibility to bleaching and who bounces back faster," Professor Hughes said. 
 
"Because of past bleaching, the reefs of French Polynesia are quite altered in terms of the coral species there now. 
 
"That's the story globally for reefs. It's becoming a weedier world." 
 
Coral reef nations need Australia's help 
 
Remote islands that depend on reefs for tourism and fisheries are especially vulnerable to climate change, which will only get worse, said Professor Hughes. 
 
"We no longer need an El Nino to trigger bleaching in the northern Great Barrier Reef or the islands of French Polynesia, we just need a hot summer and we will get plenty of them," he said. 
 
"The bleaching is tragic, but it's no longer surprising." 
 
Dr Rocha said he's trying to do his bit for coral reefs, but that it doesn't equate to much in the face of climate change. 
 
"I kind of feel helpless, because the situation requires huge policy change." 
 
Australia should be at the forefront of helping other countries who are dependent on coral reefs to protect them, according to Imogen Zethoven, director of strategy at the Australian Marine Conservation Society. 
 
"The biggest threat to coral reefs is climate change and it's in Australia's interests to help other coral reef countries particularly vulnerable to climate change," she said. 
 
"Half a billion people depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods and food security, many in our region." 
 
Scientists and environmental groups have said the future of coral reefs rests on rapid climate change action. 
 
Ms Zethoven said the global market was already heading in the right direction towards renewable energy and the phasing out of coal. 
 
The re-elected Morrison government, she added, had a responsibility to plan ahead, to ensure coal-dependent communities were not left "high and dry". 
 
"Australians will be looking for the new government to protect the things that they love, as well as drive Australia to a clean, fossil fuel free future, while bringing communities with them," Ms Zethoven said. 
 
"These two things are not inherently incompatible ... the challenge for this government in this next term is to do both."</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4456355157476232254'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4456355157476232254'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/coral-bleaching-event-underway-in.html' title='Coral bleaching event underway in French Polynesia despite no El Nino'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-7291209738515734154</id><published>2019-05-19T09:20:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-19T09:45:10.088+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thailand: Nearly half of coral off Nai Yang damaged, killed by bleaching</title><content type='html'>PHUKET: Specialists from the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) have discovered that some 10% of coral off Nai Yang Beach are dead because of bleaching while 30% more damaged.
Waranya Prompinpiras <a href="https://www.thephuketnews.com/nearly-half-of-coral-off-nai-yang-damaged-killed-by-bleaching-71476.php">The Phuket News</a> 18 May 19; 
 
The discovery was made during a joint inspection by the Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2 and Sirinath National Park on Thursday (May 16). 
 
“Officers from the Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2 and Sirinath National Park checked the condition of coral at the depth of 1.5-5 meters off Nai Yang beach. We found that 10% of Staghorn Coral, Hump Coral, Cauliflower Coral and Mushroom Coral were killed by bleaching. Some 30% are damaged by bleaching, but still alive,” an officer from the Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2 told The Phuket News. 
 
Still the forecast is optimistic due to changing weather conditions. 
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“We found that the water temperature in this area has already begun to decrease. So far it has fallen down to 29 degrees Celsius from 31 degrees Celsius on Apr 30,” the officer said. 
 
“We expect the situation to improve. Cloudy sky, rains, strong winds, high waves – all may help coral to survive,” the officer added. 
 
No specific date for the next inspection was set as it all depends on the weather conditions.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/7291209738515734154'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/7291209738515734154'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/thailand-nearly-half-of-coral-off-nai.html' title='Thailand: Nearly half of coral off Nai Yang damaged, killed by bleaching'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-6538449986312224668</id><published>2019-05-12T08:59:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2019-05-12T09:27:17.903+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thailand: Massive corals off Rayong start bleaching</title><content type='html'><a href="https://thethaiger.com/news/national/massive-corals-off-rayong-start-bleaching">The Thaiger</a> 10 May 19;
 
Massive and aged corals have started to bleach off the coast of Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand. 
 
Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, assistant dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University and a marine biologist says, “The coral in Rayong has started to bleach. From a bird eye view we can see clearly the white coral around around the rocks under the water. ” 
 
“These are massive corals which are bleaching very quickly. Normally this kind of coral takes a long time to bleach and react to the changes in temperature and environment.” 
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“We need to study what factors are causing this change apart from just the temperature. This is an emergency situation.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6538449986312224668'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6538449986312224668'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/thailand-massive-corals-off-rayong.html' title='Thailand: Massive corals off Rayong start bleaching'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-3012494669065595541</id><published>2019-04-30T09:24:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2019-04-30T09:57:39.384+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Thailand: Coral off Phuket suffering from bleaching</title><content type='html'><a href="https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/environment/coral-off-phuket-suffering-from-bleaching">The Thaiger</a> 27 Apr 19;
 
Corals have started to bleach off the coast of Phuket. The problem is due to the warming of the sea, according to reports from the Phuket-based operations centre of the 2nd National Marine Park. 
 
Marine scientists at the centre conducted a survey of coral reefs off Nai Yang beach in the Sirinat national park last Thursday and found that the sea surface temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius and that 10% of the staghorn and mushroom corals, between 1-4 metres deep, had started to bleach, although they are not yet dead. 
 
The report says that, if the warming of the sea continues, the coral bleaching problem will become more serious and will affect the ability of the reefs to regenerate. 
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Associate Professor Suchana Chavanit of the marine science department at the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, says that corals in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand have been deteriorating due to excessive tourism and fishing but, in the past 5-10 years, warming of sea water, especially during the dry season, has led to acute coral bleaching. 
 
She pointed out that the weather this year has been especially hot causing sea temperatures to exceed 30 degrees Celsius, adding that staghorn and table corals are very sensitive to sea warming and changes of sea temperature. 
 
To prevent corals in the Thai seas from becoming extinct, Suchana proposed to deep-freeze the sperm of the corals for future artificial insemination to ensure the best chance for their survival. 
 
There are currently over 70 coral species in Thai waters. 
 
SOURCE: Thai PBS</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3012494669065595541'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3012494669065595541'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/thailand-coral-off-phuket-suffering.html' title='Thailand: Coral off Phuket suffering from bleaching'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-5677678329054079755</id><published>2019-04-30T09:23:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-04-30T09:57:39.581+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Coral bleaching in Arabian Gulf modulated by shamal winds, say NYUAD researchers</title><content type='html'><a href="http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302759185">Emirates News Agency</a> 29 Apr 19;
 
ABU DHABI, 29th April, 2019 (WAM) -- Corals in the Arabian Gulf are not immune to extreme heat events associated with global warming that are impacting coral reefs elsewhere in the world, researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi have revealed. 
 
Using reef-based temperature loggers and mathematical models, research published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, showed that coral in the Gulf - the most thermally tolerant in the world - has become more vulnerable to bleaching events when weak summer winds do not cool the water's surface. 
 
Without these winds, which are known as shamal (northerly) winds, the Gulf’s shallow waters can reach temperatures considered lethal to coral for extended periods in summer, according to the study’s authors, NYUAD Associate Professor of Biology John Burt, and NYUAD Associate Professor of Mathematics Francesco Paparella. 
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As global warming trends continue, they theorise that Gulf coral reefs may continue to be at risk of bleaching if climate change affects the Indian Ocean monsoon, which underpins the summer shamal winds in this region. Corals turn white or bleach when they become stressed by heat or pollution and expel a marine alga called zooxanthellae, which live inside their tissues. This alga provides the corals with their colour and is an easy food supply thanks to photosynthesis, which gives the corals 90 percent of their energy, allowing them to grow and reproduce.
 
Burt and Paparella collected and analysed data from three major coral habitats located in the Abu Dhabi waters of the southern Gulf - Saadiyat Island, Ras Ghanada, and Dhabiya reefs. All three sites were located at similar depths and distances from shore. These sites are among the most abundant coral communities in the southern Gulf. 
 
Their mathematical model, which describes the energy flowing through the water column, was able to reproduce the observed data and unveiled that during the summer months Shamal winds can achieve in excess of 300 watt every square metre of evaporative cooling - a cooling power rivalling that of most air conditioning systems. 
 
Coral bleaching events continue to occur with increasing frequency and severity both globally and within the Gulf as the world’s seas warm, pushing corals beyond the thermal thresholds to which they have evolved. In the Gulf, there has been an overall warming trend since the 1970s, with some areas warming at rates three times the global average. 
 
"Coral bleaching events have been occurring with increasing frequency in the Arabian Gulf in recent decades," said Burt, "and the summer of 2017 was among the most catastrophic on record." 
 
In collaboration with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, Burt and his team showed that nearly three-quarters of coral across the southern Gulf was lost to bleaching-related mortality and a subsequent disease outbreak between summer 2017 and spring 2018. 
 
WAM/Rola Alghoul/Esraa Ismail/Nour Salman</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/5677678329054079755'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/5677678329054079755'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/coral-bleaching-in-arabian-gulf.html' title='Coral bleaching in Arabian Gulf modulated by shamal winds, say NYUAD researchers'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4290855066803714055</id><published>2019-04-22T13:22:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-04-22T13:37:43.768+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Corals in Gulf of Mannar feel the heat</title><content type='html'>Hariprasad A R THOOTHUKUDI <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/corals-in-gulf-of-mannar-feel-the-heat/article26904665.ece">The Hindu</a> 21 Apr 19;
 
Around 2.5% bleaching witnessed during underwater study 
 
Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar region, which were recovering well since the last mass coral bleaching witnessed in 2016, have once again started bleaching due to rising temperatures this summer. 
 
During an underwater study by the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), the extent of bleaching was estimated to be 2.5%, of which 2% was partially bleached while 0.5% has suffered full bleaching. 
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Water temperatures of about 32°C have been recorded during the studies conducted at Pattinamaruthoor patch reef and along Kariyachelli island. “There was no major bleaching event in 2017 and 2018 after the third global coral bleaching event in 2016. The reefs had shown remarkable resilience since and as a result, there has been slow but steady coral recovery from 2017,” said J.K. Patterson Edward, Director of the SDMRI. “However, if the temperatures remain high for a prolonged period this year, the corals may die.”
 
Coral bleaching is a condition when coral polyps expel symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, which provide them with food for growth and their normal healthy colour. If the stress continues, the corals may not recover leading to mortality. 
 
Massive corals especially Porites sp. were the first to be affected, while other corals including Porites solida, P. lutea and Goniastrea sp. were among those fully bleached, while Acropora formosa, A. cytherea, Goniastrea sp., A. intermedia, A. nobilis, Montipora divaricata, M. foliosa, and Symphyllia sp. were among those partially bleached at the two sites. 
 
The bleaching has been reported to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the Government of Tamil Nadu. 
 
Dr. Patterson said that anthropogenic pressures on stressed reefs from fishing and other activities should be minimised to aid recovery of the reefs. 
 
Rapid surveys would be continued in other reef sites such as Mandapam and Kilakarai coasts and other areas throughout summer and pre-monsoon months to record and update the developments.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4290855066803714055'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4290855066803714055'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/corals-in-gulf-of-mannar-feel-heat.html' title='Corals in Gulf of Mannar feel the heat'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-9030203330715394075</id><published>2019-04-05T08:12:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2019-04-05T08:55:30.288+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% collapse in new coral after bleaching events</title><content type='html'>Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coral
Lisa Cox <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/04/great-barrier-reef-suffers-89-collapse-in-new-coral-after-bleaching-events">The Guardian</a> 3 Apr 19; 
 
The number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017. 
 
Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality. 
 
The results, published in Nature, show not only a dramatic reduction in new coral recruitment compared with historic levels, but also a change in the types of coral species produced. 
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The paper’s lead author, coral scientist Terry Hughes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, said the results paint an uncertain picture for the reef in years to come if further bleaching events occur before corals have time to sufficiently recover – which typically takes a decade. 
 
“We’ve told the story of coral dying, we’ve told the story of some being winners and losers. Now we’ve got the next phase where species have a chance to recover,” Hughes said. 
 
“But what we’re seeing is that it’s happening a lot slower because we only have 10% of the babies.” 
 
Across the entire reef the scientists measured an 89% drop in new corals, but that average includes a small increase in new coral in the southern-most sections of the reef, which were less affected by bleaching. 
 
The amount of baby coral declined by an even higher percentage in the northern sections. 
 
Hughes said replenishment of corals around Lizard Island dropped 98% last year on what has been seen historically. He said it was now faring slightly better, but the rate of new coral growth is still only 4%. 
 
The researchers also found that the mix of species that make up the pool of coral babies has shifted dramatically. Acropora, the branching and table corals that are the reef’s dominant species, declined by 93%. 
 
On a healthy reef, acropora typically make up two thirds of the corals and provide the nooks and crannies for fish and other species. 
 
“If you change the mix of babies, you change the mix that they grow up to be,” Hughes said. 
 
“We’re not saying the Barrier Reef is doomed, but it is on a new trajectory. The way it’s connected, the mix of species, it’s all changing.” 
 
The cause of the collapse in coral recruitment is the death of adult coral stock. 
 
For it to recover, the reef will need more mature coral, something that Hughes says will not happen overnight. 
 
“We’re not saying it’s a permanent crush. But I’m pretty damn sure it’s going to be slow,” he said. 
 
“The main concern is it won’t be a sustained recovery because the timeline of it – a decade – is almost certainly going to include one or two future bleaching events.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/9030203330715394075'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/9030203330715394075'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/great-barrier-reef-suffers-89-collapse.html' title='Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% collapse in new coral after bleaching events'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4870830102292935556</id><published>2019-04-02T10:09:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-04-02T10:31:09.563+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Australia: Lord Howe Island coral bleaching 'most severe we've ever seen', scientists say</title><content type='html'>Biologists fear they will now start to see coral mortality in world’s southern-most reef
Lisa Cox <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/01/lord-howe-island-coral-bleaching-most-severe-weve-ever-seen-scientists-say">The Guardian</a> 1 Apr 19; 
 
Researchers have documented what they are describing as the most severe coral bleaching to hit the world’s southern-most reef at Lord Howe Island. 
 
Scientists from Newcastle University, James Cook University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have spent the past two weeks surveying corals around the island in the far south Pacific Ocean after they were alerted to bleaching in isolated areas. 
 
Bill Leggat, a coral biologist at Newcastle University, said the worst of the bleaching was in shallow water closer to the shoreline. 
 
“It’s quite variable but where it’s severe it is actually quite severe,” he said. 
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“Some of the sites are looking at 80-90% bleaching going very close inshore.” 
 
Other reef sites the scientists surveyed showed bleaching levels of 50%, 30% and some areas with as little as 5% bleaching. 
 
Lord Howe Island was named a Unesco world heritage site in 1982. It is habitat for species that are found nowhere else on earth. 
 
The bleaching has occurred over the past summer, with March the peak month of the year for coral bleaching due to warmer ocean temperatures. 
 
Scientists have documented three bleaching events at Lord Howe Island in the past but it has been some years since it last occurred. 
 
Leggat said although the bleaching was isolated to shallow areas, for scientists to be documenting 90% bleaching in some parts signalled the latest event “is really quite severe”. 
 
“As far as we know it’s the most severe we’ve ever seen it on Lord Howe Island,” he said. 
 
“Our concern now is we’re going to start seeing coral mortality.” 
 
Leggat said some areas still remained healthy but researchers doing surveys last week could see the bleaching was progressing. 
 
They will return in April to conduct fresh surveys to assess whether it has caused coral mortality. 
 
While much of Australia’s focus on coral bleaching has been centred on the Great Barrier Reef, it is a worldwide occurrence due to climate change. 
 
“Reefs around the world are being affected everywhere,” Leggat said. 
 
“We’re starting to see beaching in sites where wouldn’t have previously expected to see it.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4870830102292935556'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4870830102292935556'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/04/australia-lord-howe-island-coral.html' title='Australia: Lord Howe Island coral bleaching 'most severe we've ever seen', scientists say'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-1043969425320401556</id><published>2019-03-27T10:42:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-03-27T11:00:34.195+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Coral reefs near equator less affected by ocean warming</title><content type='html'>Research based on analysis of field observations from 20-year global coral survey
Florida Institute of Technology <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190320110624.htm">Science Daily</a> 20 Mar 19; 
 
Ocean warming is threatening coral reefs globally, with persistent thermal stress events degrading coral reefs worldwide, but a new study has found that corals at or near the equator are affected less than corals elsewhere. 
 
The findings from Florida Institute of Technology Ph.D. student Shannon Sully and professor Rob van Woesik, along with colleagues at the University of California at Santa Barbara and Reef Check, were published March 20 in the journal Nature Communications. 
 
The work, which was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Zegar Family Foundation, was based on analysis of field observations from a 20-year global survey of over 3,500 coral study sites led by Reef Check founder and former director Gregor Hodgson. 
 
As expected, coral bleaching was most common in localities experiencing high-temperature stress, but it was significantly less common in those places with high monthly variation in temperatures. 
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"We found that it took higher temperatures to bleach corals this past decade than it did 20 years ago," Florida Tech's Shannon Sully said. 
 
The authors suggest that bleaching at higher temperatures this decade is likely a consequence of the decline in temperature-sensitive corals during previous bleaching events and that the remaining populations now have a higher thermal threshold for bleaching. 
 
"We found that the reefs near the Equator were less affected by bleaching than elsewhere, despite similar thermal-stress levels at equatorial sites," said Deron Burkepile, a co-author from UCSB. 
 
Rob van Woesik, professor and director of the Institute for Global Ecology at Florida Tech, said even with the new analysis, some questions remain. 
 
"We are uncertain why equatorial reefs are more tolerant of recent temperature stress, but we do know that we must protect these equatorial reefs -- and reefs everywhere -- from other disturbances, lest we lose coral reefs that protect coastal inhabitants from storm waves and help feed millions of people worldwide," he said. 
 
Jan Freiwald, Reef Check's executive director, added that he was glad to see Reef Check's data put to good use. 
 
"Reef Check's citizen science divers work hard to survey reefs all over the world so that we have the data we need to understand our reefs and make effective management decisions in a changing planet," he said. 
 
Story Source: 
 
Materials provided by Florida Institute of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. 
 
Journal Reference: 
 
S. Sully, D. E. Burkepile, M. K. Donovan, G. Hodgson, R. van Woesik. A global analysis of coral bleaching over the past two decades. Nature Communications, 2019; 10 (1) <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09238-2">DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09238-2</a> 
</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1043969425320401556'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1043969425320401556'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/03/coral-reefs-near-equator-less-affected.html' title='Coral reefs near equator less affected by ocean warming'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-8949590510307607804</id><published>2019-03-09T09:41:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2019-03-09T09:53:48.104+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Body of warm water in Indian Ocean heading to Malaysia</title><content type='html'><a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/07/body-of-warm-water-in-indian-ocean-heading-to-malaysia/">The Star</a> 7 Mar 19;
 
PETALING JAYA: A conservation group monitoring coral in Malaysian waters has warned of a body of warm water forming in the Indian Ocean which can lead to coral bleaching. 
 
Reef Check Malaysia general manager Julian Hyde said a review of information from the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that the body of warm water was slowly moving eastwards towards Malaysia. 
 
“We haven’t had reports of bleaching yet. It’s a little early. 
 
“For bleaching to start, there needs to be several consecutive weeks of warm water, which requires an even more extended stretch of hot weather. So far, nothing yet,” he said in a statement yesterday. 
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Coral bleaching happens when corals expel the algae living in their tissues when the water turns warm, causing the coral to turn completely white. Although a bleaching coral is not dead, it is under more stress. 
 
He said there were warnings from the global scientific community that there could be a strong El Nino weather pattern this year, which could lead to bleaching. 
 
“We review the information available from NOAA on a weekly basis – they publish data on sea surface temperatures, an indicator of possible bleaching. 
 
“There appears to be a body of warm water forming in the Indian Ocean, which is slowly moving towards us,” he said. 
 
Weekly satellite pictures, said Hyde, showed the spreading of light and dark yellow areas. 
 
“These are bleaching alerts showing possible warming waters,” he said, adding that Reef Check regularly spoke to people in the field. 
 
He said they had seen similar pictures previously with apparent warming waters. 
 
“But then temperatures regularised and no bleaching resulted. So, it is too early to be sure now. All I can say is that we are monitoring it,” he said. 
 
Malaysia is currently facing a hot and dry spell until the end of the month. 
 
The Malaysian Meteorological Department, in a report on the country’s weather outlook from February to July, said that most international climate models predicted a 65% possibility of the El Nino weather phenomenon occurring until May. 
 
El Nino is an irregular weather phenomenon that causes sea temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean to rise, bringing hot and dry weather to Malaysia.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8949590510307607804'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8949590510307607804'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/03/body-of-warm-water-in-indian-ocean.html' title='Body of warm water in Indian Ocean heading to Malaysia'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-167757257097478342</id><published>2019-03-05T15:06:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2019-03-05T15:46:32.531+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="extreme-nature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global-marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="seagrasses"/><title type='text'>Ocean heatwaves devastate wildlife, worse to come</title><content type='html'>Marlowe HOOD, AFP <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/ocean-heatwaves-devastate-wildlife-worse-come-191817150.html">Yahoo News</a> 5 Mar 19;
 
Paris (AFP) - Invisible to people but deadly to marine life, ocean heatwaves have damaged ecosystems across the globe and are poised to become even more destructive, according to the first study to measure worldwide impacts with a single yardstick. 
 
The number of marine heatwave days has increased by more than 50 percent since the mid-20th century, researchers reported in the journal Nature Climate Change. 
 
"Globally, marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and prolonged, and record-breaking events have been observed in most ocean basins in the past decade," said lead author Dan Smale, a researcher at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, Britain. 
 
Above the ocean watermark, on Earth's surface, 18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record, leading to more severe storms, droughts, heatwaves and flooding. 
 
"Just as atmospheric heatwaves can destroy crops, forests and animal populations, marine heatwaves can devastate ocean ecosystems," Smale told AFP. 
 
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Compared to hot spells over land, which have claimed tens of thousands of lives since the start of the century, ocean heatwaves have received scant scientific attention. 
 
But sustained spikes in sea-surface temperatures can also have devastating consequences. 
 
A 10-week marine heatwave near western Australia in 2011, for example, shattered an entire ecosystem and permanently pushed commercial fish species into colder waters. 
 
Corals have been the marquee victims of shallow-water heatwaves, and face a bleak future. Even if humanity manages to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius -- mission impossible, according to some scientists -- up to 90 percent of corals are likely to die, the UN's top climate science body said in October. 
 
But other bedrock species have suffered too: the 2011 surge of heat killed off large swathes of seagrass meadows and kelp forests, along with the finfish and abalone that depend on them. 
 
- Heat sponge - 
 
Another ocean hot spell off the coast of California warmed waters by 6 C (10.8 F) and lasted for more than a year. 
 
Known at "The Blob", it generated toxic algae blooms, caused the closure of crab fisheries, and led to the death of sea lions, whales and sea birds. 
 
More frequent and intense ocean heatwaves also have a direct impact on people by reducing fisheries harvests and adding to global warming, the researchers noted. 
 
"Species of fish and crustaceans targeted for human consumption may be locally wiped out," Smale said. 
 
"And carbon stored by sea grasses and mangroves may be released if they are hit by extreme temperatures." 
 
To determine the full extent of marine heatwave impacts across different oceans, Smale and an international team from 19 research centres crunched data from more than 1,000 field studies that reported on how organisms and ecosystem responded. 
 
By definition, marine heatwaves last at least five days. Sea water temperatures for a given location are "extremely high" -- the top 5-to-10 percent on record for that time and place. 
 
"Marine heatwaves can penetrate to hundreds of metres, though for our analysis we used data which only captures warming at the surface," Smale said. 
 
As manmade global warming heats the planet, oceans have absorbed some 90 percent of the extra heat generated. 
 
Without that heat sponge, air temperatures would be intolerably higher. 
 
Even if humanity does manage to cap global warming at "well below" 2C (3.6 F), as called for in the Paris climate treaty, marine heatwaves will sharply increase in frequency, intensity and duration, earlier research has shown. 
 
Heatwaves sweeping oceans ‘like wildfires’, scientists reveal 
Extreme temperatures destroy kelp, seagrass and corals – with alarming impacts for humanity 
Damian Carrington <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/04/heatwaves-sweeping-oceans-like-wildfires-scientists-reveal">The Guardian</a> 4 Mar 19; 
 
The number of heatwaves affecting the planet’s oceans has increased sharply, scientists have revealed, killing swathes of sea-life like “wildfires that take out huge areas of forest”. 
 
The damage caused in these hotspots is also harmful for humanity, which relies on the oceans for oxygen, food, storm protection and the removal of climate-warming carbon dioxide the atmosphere, they say. 
 
Global warming is gradually increasing the average temperature of the oceans, but the new research is the first systematic global analysis of ocean heatwaves, when temperatures reach extremes for five days or more. 
 
The research found heatwaves are becoming more frequent, prolonged and severe, with the number of heatwave days tripling in the last couple of years studied. In the longer term, the number of heatwave days jumped by more than 50% in the 30 years to 2016, compared with the period of 1925 to 1954. 
 
As heatwaves have increased, kelp forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs have been lost. These foundation species are critical to life in the ocean. They provide shelter and food to many others, but have been hit on coasts from California to Australia to Spain. 
 
“You have heatwave-induced wildfires that take out huge areas of forest, but this is happening underwater as well,” said Dan Smale at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, UK, who led the research published in Nature Climate Change. “You see the kelp and seagrasses dying in front of you. Within weeks or months they are just gone, along hundreds of kilometres of coastline.” 
 
As well as quantifying the increase in heatwaves, the team analysed 116 research papers on eight well-studied marine heatwaves, such as the record-breaking “Ningaloo Niño” that hit Australia in 2011 and the hot “blob” that persisted in the north-east Pacific from 2013 to 2016. “They have adverse impacts on a wide range of organisms, from plankton to invertebrates, to fish, mammals and seabirds,” Smale said. 
 
The scientists compared the areas where heatwaves have increased most with those areas harbouring rich biodiversity or species already near their temperature limit and those where additional stresses, such as pollution or overfishing, already occur. This revealed hotspots of harm from the north-east Atlantic to the Caribbean to the western Pacific. “A lot of ocean systems are being battered by multiple stresses,” Smale said. 
 
The natural ocean cycle of El Niño is a key factor in pushing up temperatures in some parts of the ocean and the effect of global warming on the phenomenon remains uncertain, but the gradual overall heating of the oceans means heatwaves are worse when they strike. 
 
“The starting temperature is much higher, so the absolute temperatures [in a heatwave] are that much higher and more stressful,” said Smale. Some marine wildlife is mobile and could in theory swim to cooler waters, but ocean heatwaves often strike large areas more rapidly than fish move, he said. 
 
The researchers said ocean heatwaves can have “major socioeconomic and political ramifications”, such as in the north-west Atlantic in 2012, when lobster stocks were dramatically affected, creating tensions across the US-Canada border. 
 
“This [research] makes clear that heatwaves are hitting the ocean all over the world … The ocean, in effect, is spiking a fever,” said Prof Malin Pinsky, at Rutgers University, US, and not part of the team. “These events are likely to become more extreme and more common in the future unless we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” 
 
Dr Éva Plagányi at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia also likened ocean heatwaves to wildfires. “Frequent big hits can have long-lasting effects,” she said. “This study shows that record-breaking events are becoming the new normal.” 
 
The damage global warming is causing to the oceans has also been shown in a series of other scientific papers published in the last week. Ocean warming has cut sustainable fish catches by 15% to 35% in five regions, including the North Sea and the East China Sea, and 4% globally, according to work published by Pinsky and colleagues. 
 
“We were stunned to find that fisheries around the world have already responded to ocean warming,” he said. Another study showed that achieving the 2C climate change target set out in the Paris agreement would protect almost 10m tonnes of fish catches each year, worth tens of billions of dollars. 
 
Separate work by Plagányi’s team showed that climate change will reverse the recovery of whales in the Southern Ocean by damaging the krill on which they feed. “Models predict concerning declines, and even local extinctions by 2100, for Pacific populations of blue and fin whales, and Atlantic and Indian Ocean fin and humpback whales,” they said. 
“In the space of one week, scientific publications have underscored that unless we take evasive action, our future oceans will have fewer fish, fewer whales and frequent dramatic shifts in ecological structure will occur, with concerning implications for humans who depend on the ocean,” said Plagányi.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/167757257097478342'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/167757257097478342'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/03/ocean-heatwaves-devastate-wildlife.html' title='Ocean heatwaves devastate wildlife, worse to come'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-8633321891756722846</id><published>2019-03-05T15:01:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2019-03-05T15:46:33.609+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="extreme-nature"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Some Great Barrier Reef coral suffering lasting effects from mass bleaching events</title><content type='html'>Several reefs have not recovered from back-to-back bleaching, surveys have found, but others remain in good condition
Lisa Cox <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/04/some-great-barrier-reef-coral-suffering-lasting-effects-from-mass-bleaching-events">The Guardian</a> 4 Mar 19; 
 
Coral reefs in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef are showing lasting effects from the mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017 and in some cases their health has declined further, according to fresh surveys by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. 
 
Preliminary results of surveys by Aims scientists in January show several reefs have not recovered from the back-to-back bleaching, although the agency said some reefs they surveyed were in good condition. 
 
Researchers undertook a 25-day expedition to remote far northern reefs, at a cost of $1.4m, partly funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation from money it was awarded in a record grant by the government last year. 
 
Some of the reefs examined had not been surveyed before. 
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In the Cape Grenville sector, six reefs were surveyed where the agency had collected data in 2017, after the 2016 bleaching. Of these, hard coral cover had declined further at five reefs, while one was unchanged. 
 
Three other previously unsurveyed reefs had “low, moderate and high coral cover”, the report says. 
 
Across the site scientists found widespread coral bleaching “but at low levels”, and there was also fresh damage to reefs attributed to destruction from tropical cyclone Penny this summer. 
 
In the Princess Charlotte sector, Aims returned to five reefs studied in 2017, of which two had deteriorated further and three were unchanged. 
 
The scientists said in their preliminary report that coral bleaching was widespread at low levels across this section of reefs, but some areas showed “significant coral bleaching”. These reefs also appeared to have been damaged by tropical cyclone Penny. 
 
Mike Emslie, a marine ecologist at Aims who was one of the scientists on the expedition, said “some reefs that were severely bleached in 2016 are still in bad shape”. 
 
“However, other reefs that escaped the worst of the bleaching still have reasonably healthy amounts of coral.” 
 
Emslie said the team’s preliminary results showed low to moderate numbers of young corals, which indicated that the effects of bleaching were still being felt. 
 
“Fish numbers and diversity were high on most reefs. However, this was the first survey of reef fish communities undertaken by Aims in the far north and we cannot speculate on whether fish communities have been altered by the coral bleaching,” he said. 
 
The coral scientist Terry Hughes has also worked with research teams surveying parts of the far northern Great Barrier Reef. 
 
He said the preliminary results of the study, and the lack of observed improvement in previously surveyed reefs, showed how difficult it was for corals to rebound after mass bleaching. 
 
“That doesn’t surprise me because it takes 10 years for coral to rebound,” Hughes said. 
 
“There’s been some reports of magical recovery, but the ecological memory of the bleaching will be long-lasting. 
 
“The big unknown is when it will bleach again, but it will almost certainly be before those reefs have time to recover.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8633321891756722846'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8633321891756722846'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/03/some-great-barrier-reef-coral-suffering.html' title='Some Great Barrier Reef coral suffering lasting effects from mass bleaching events'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-6412945434186289346</id><published>2019-02-03T08:52:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2019-02-03T09:03:43.447+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>UAE's corals suffer 'catastrophic' damage in record summer heat</title><content type='html'>The future of eight reefs in the Arabian Gulf is in doubt after high temperatures and low winds leave corals dying
Daniel Bardsley <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/uae-s-corals-suffer-catastrophic-damage-in-record-summer-heat-1.820293">The National</a> 2 Feb 19; 
 
Scientists fear the future of the UAE’s reefs is in doubt after research found rising temperatures killed almost three quarters of Abu Dhabi’s coral. 
 
Record temperatures in the summer of 2017 left more than 90 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s coral cover bleached and struggling to survive, New York University Abu Dhabi found. 
 
Dr John Burt, associate professor of biology, said there was a remarkable amount of damage. 
 
“The results were catastrophic,” Dr Burt told The National. “I had never seen anything like it in my career.” 
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Coral in Saudi Arabian and Qatari waters have also been destroyed. 
 
Damage to the reefs off Abu Dhabi reflects a global trend, driven by high emissions and rising temperature. 
 
But local factors such as sewage discharge, dredging and land reclamation also stress coral, Dr Burt said. 
 
Temperatures in the Arabian Gulf are rising faster than expected, harming the ecosystem, making the water saltier and compounding the problem of “hypoxia”, or low oxygen levels. 
 
The destruction witnessed in the summer of 2017 was caused by winds being weaker than normal, reducing evaporation from the sea, which usually cools water down. 
 
Over August and September that year, the maximum daily temperature at the reefs averaged close to 36°C, and coral endured nearly two months above bleaching temperatures and almost two weeks above lethal temperatures. 
 
Within a month, 94.3 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s 120 square kilometres of coral cover became bleached, and almost two thirds died, a figure that rose to nearly three quarters by April last year. 
 
Because average temperatures continue to rise, bleaching is becoming more and more common. There was more of it last summer, and this year researchers will analyse its effects. 
 
Reef-building coral usually contains algae in a relationship that benefits both organisms. 
 
The algae photosynthesise, producing oxygen, glucose and other food for the coral, while the coral provide the algae with a safe habitat and nutrients. 
 
When temperatures rise, the algae photosynthesise more, leading to high oxygen levels that harm the coral, which then respond by ejecting the algae. 
 
“This is coral in dire straits. It can live for a period of time living off its own fat reserves,” Dr Burt said. 
 
“If the stress persists, it won’t take the algae back in. After two weeks or so you will start seeing coral dying.” 
 
Dr Burt said the coral framework remained but much less of it was alive. In future, he said there would be more large algae and sponges living among the mostly dead coral framework in what will be a less-diverse habitat. 
 
Bleached coral in the Arabian Gulf. Photo credit: Noura Al Mansoori. For a story by Daniel Bardsley 
Bleached coral in the Arabian Gulf. Courtesy: Noura Al Mansoori 
“My opinion, and the data backs this up, is that the prognosis for the future of the Gulf reefs is relatively grim,” he said. 
 
“The water here is warming up three times faster than the global average because it’s a shallow basin.” 
 
The coral can regrow but it needs more than a decade of uninterrupted growth, which is unlikely given the high frequency of warming events. 
 
Coral also regenerates by producing larvae and Dr Burt said larvae produced by reefs off Iran and Bahrain may drift into the southern Gulf, producing coral to partly replace what has been lost. 
 
He said there were efforts under way in Abu Dhabi to grow coral but these were “relatively small scale”. 
 
“Reef scientists are working with policymakers to try to enact change but none of the international agreements have seemed to put a dent in the carbon dioxide emissions we’re putting in the atmosphere,” Dr Burt said. 
 
His research group is developing a model that uses meteorological data to identify, two to three weeks in advance, when coral is likely to be most vulnerable to damage caused by high water temperatures. 
 
This would alert government agencies, which could suspend activities that stress coral. 
 
“You would be putting some of these projects on hold, not necessarily cancelling them. There would be negligible economic impact,” Dr Burt said. 
 
Globally, there is no sign that the temperature increases of recent decades are slowing down. 
 
“Unless there’s some serious mitigation, which there’s not much sign of, the oceans will carry on warming for the foreseeable future,” said Edward Hanna, a professor of climate science and meteorology at the UK’s University of Lincoln.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6412945434186289346'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/6412945434186289346'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2019/02/uaes-corals-suffer-catastrophic-damage.html' title='UAE's corals suffer 'catastrophic' damage in record summer heat'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-4105933260504767028</id><published>2018-12-14T09:00:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2018-12-14T10:09:29.978+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>High sea surface temperatures expected to bleach coral off Northern Australia</title><content type='html'>Jane Bardon <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-14/coral-bleaching-nt-coast-sea-surface-temperature-rise/10617892">ABC News</a> 14 Dec 18;
 
Widespread coral bleaching is forecast for waters off the Northern Australia coast, due to above-average sea surface temperatures that could last for up to two months. 
 
Rising sea surface temperatures prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the US Department of Commerce, to issue a "Red Alert Level 1" for coral bleaching off most of the Northern Territory coastline, apart from the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
 
North of the Tiwi Islands, where sea surface temperatures have topped 33 degrees Celsius, a "Red Alert Level 2" has been put in place. 
 
The administration said that meant there was a 60 per cent chance of mass coral bleaching across those areas. 
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It has forecast that all of the Territory's coastal waters, apart from parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria, will be on "Red Alert Level 2" by January. 
 
"It looks like a large mass of really hot water is coming down through Indonesia, and it's going to sit above the Northern Territory and Kimberley Coast," the Australian Marine Conservation Society's northern campaigner Jason Fowler said. 
 
"The administration is predicting we will have at least eight weeks of above-average sea surface temperatures over 33 degrees, so this bleaching event could last some time." 
 
The administration correctly predicted there would be coral bleaching off the Territory coast, including near the Cobourg Peninsula, earlier this year and in 2016. 
 
In 2016, reefs off Arnhem Land and some parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria were bleached, and there was a mass die-off of mangroves stretching from Borroloola to Queensland. 
 
'We expect just as bad, if not worse coral bleaching' 
In the same year, sand temperatures on Bare Sand Island — a key flatback turtle nesting area — were so high, all of the hatchlings were incubated as females, and no males were born. 
 
"In 2016 we saw widespread bleaching and the conditions predicted now are just as bad, so we expect just as bad, if not worse coral bleaching," Mr Fowler said. 
 
He said cyclone systems could have a cooling effect on the sea surface temperature, but when reefs bleached during years in close succession, it was more difficult for corals to recover and recolonise dead areas. 
 
Mr Fowler has called on both the Northern Territory and Federal Governments to increase efforts to reduce carbon emissions to try and slow ocean warming. 
 
"The Northern Territory seafood industry and coastal communities are at risk from this, so we really need to get on with reducing emissions," he said. 
 
"And we need to get scientists out to the reefs to start studying the impacts." 
 
Mr Fowler said he hoped the Northern Territory Government's forthcoming Coastal and Marine Management Strategy would contain measures designed to reduce other stresses on the Territory's coral reefs. 
 
An underwater photo of fish swimming around bleached coral. 
PHOTO: A red alert for coral bleaching has been issued for most of the NT coastline (ABC News: Jane Bardon) 
"We need to regulate fishing pressure, make sure reefs are not stressed by industrial developments," he said. 
 
"And to make sure our rivers are flowing freely and unpolluted into the sea to help reefs function and recover from bleaching events as best as possible." 
 
The Government has said it expects to release its Coastal and Marine Management Strategy next year.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4105933260504767028'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/4105933260504767028'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2018/12/high-sea-surface-temperatures-expected.html' title='High sea surface temperatures expected to bleach coral off Northern Australia'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-1760866424371136157</id><published>2018-11-30T07:52:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2018-11-30T08:15:19.614+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Great Barrier Reef: record heatwave may cause another coral bleaching event</title><content type='html'>42.6C temperature in Cairns broke a November record that has stood since 1900 by 5.4C
Ben Smee <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/28/great-barrier-reef-record-heatwave-may-cause-another-coral-bleaching-event">The Guardian</a> 28 Nov 18; 
 
A record-breaking heatwave in north Queensland will further increase above-average marine temperatures, heightening the risk of another coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef next year, scientists say. 
 
Dozens of record November temperatures have been recorded in the region, most along the reef coastline, this week. 
 
The most remarkable was at Cairns, where consecutive days reached temperatures of 42.6C and 40.9C. The maximum temperature on Tuesday broke a November record that has stood since 1900 by 5.4C. 
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Extreme weather fuelled more than 130 bushfires, which the premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Twitter was “not the kind of fire we have seen in Queensland before”. 
 
“Heatwave records and fire weather is unprecedented,” Palaszczuk said. 
 
A dust storm, brought by strong westerly winds, covered the southern inland parts of the state. In the north, thousands of native flying foxes died due to the high temperatures. 
 
Reef scientist Terry Hughes, from the coral centre of excellence at James Cook University, said the summer heatwave was “terrifying” and lifted the chances of coral death on the Great Barrier Reef early next year. 
 
The reef sustained successive marine heatwaves, in the early part of 2016 and 2017, which killed corals and badly damaged the northern and central sections. 
 
Hughes said the bleaching forecasts were “trending upwards” but scientists would not have a clear picture until the end of January. 
 
Coral ecophysiologist Dr Neal Cantin, from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said ocean temperatures remained below those recorded at the same time in 2015 and 2016, but warmer than historical averages. 
 
Cantin said the current heatwave would “add heat and warm up the ocean. It certainly adds heat to the system. We’ve seen record breaking land temperatures this week, which we expect to see into the future with climate change and everything heating up. 
 
“We’re in a watch phase. There’s definitely the potential and how the local weather patterns pan out in January and February will really determine whether we get a large scale bleaching event or not. 
 
“There are some signs we may avoid [bleaching] this summer. At this stage it’s less likely to be as bad as 2016, but we’ll be ready to respond [if bleaching occurs].” 
 
Reality of climate change sinking in 
“The hazard I worry most about is heatwaves,” Andrew Gissing, a disaster management expert from the firm Risk Frontiers, said. 
 
“Australia needs to be better prepared for heatwaves, with climate change we are already predicting they will get more severe.” 
 
Gissing told Guardian Australia people often respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters based on their previous experiences. But he said governments, businesses and individuals were often not prepared for the increasing severity and frequency of such events. 
 
“We did a lot of work in Lismore after Cyclone Debbie. So many people sheltered in their homes because that’s what they always did when it flooded. They just didn’t realise this flood was that much bigger 
 
“People really need to be attuned to what’s actually happening ... how the nature of climactic hazards is changing.” 
 
Gissing said businesses needed to start investing in climate change mitigation and adaption measures. 
 
“It’s going to be very hard to mitigate a lot of the [predicted climate] impacts, so adaptation for the future is going to be really important. Especially when you overlay climate change on a growing population base. 
 
“The [number of people living on the Queensland coast] is likely to double by about 2030. Because of climate change, we’re looking at there being more exposure [to disaster risks] there as well.”</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1760866424371136157'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/1760866424371136157'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2018/11/great-barrier-reef-record-heatwave-may.html' title='Great Barrier Reef: record heatwave may cause another coral bleaching event'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-3278052571455340988</id><published>2018-10-31T07:57:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2018-10-31T08:28:05.264+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Study tracks severe bleaching events on a Pacific coral reef over the past century</title><content type='html'>Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution <a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-10-tracks-severe-events-pacific-coral.html">Phys.org</a> 30 Oct 18;
 
As climate change causes ocean temperatures to rise, coral reefs worldwide are experiencing mass bleaching events and die-offs. For many, this is their first encounter with extreme heat. However for some reefs in the central Pacific, heatwaves caused by El Nino are a way of life. Exactly how these reefs deal with repeated episodes of extreme heat has been unclear. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has uncovered the history of bleaching on a reef in the epicenter of El Nino, revealing how some corals have been able to return after facing extreme conditions. The study was published October 26, 2018, in the journal Communications Biology.
 
"These huge marine heat waves, which are being exacerbated by global warming, are equivalent to an atomic bomb in terms of impact on coral reefs—they kill millions of corals across huge areas of ocean in a very short time" says WHOI scientist Anne Cohen, who was principal investigator on the work. "We've seen this play out now globally for the past 30-40 years, and bleaching events have become more frequent and more severe." 
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When water temperatures rise even slightly, symbiotic algae that live inside the cells of the live coral start to create toxic substances and are ejected by the corals. The algae normally provide the corals with food and energy, as well as their bright colors. Without them, the corals appear to be "bleached" white, then starve and die. 
 
In their study, Cohen's team traveled to Jarvis Island, a tiny, unpopulated coral reef island 1,400 miles south of Hawaii, to study the effects of extreme climate on the corals there. Because Jarvis is both remote and part of a marine protected area, it has been home to stunningly rich coral reefs—but with its location in the middle of the Pacific, it also experiences more extreme heat waves caused by periodic El Nino events than coral reefs elsewhere. 
 
"The fact that it's placed right at the equator in the central Pacific puts it at epicenter of El Niño dynamics." says NOAA researcher Hannah Barkley, who was a graduate student and later a postdoctoral fellow in Cohen's lab at the time of the study, and is the paper's lead author. "It's subject to incredible variability and extremes in temperature.". 
 
Because there is no observational record of bleaching on the reef at Jarvis before 2015, Cohen and Barkley turned to massive old corals that had lived on the reef for more than 100 years. They took core samples from the corals, creating a sort of skeletal biopsy that records the history of the reef. After running the cores through a CT scanner, they found for the first time evidence of multiple bleaching events preserved in the physical structure of the reef. The longest cores revealed bleaching as far back as 1912.
 
"We found that when the reef bleaches, these big old corals lay down "stress bands," or a dense layer of calcium carbonate, the bone-like material that make up the structure of corals. Those bands appear clearly in the CT scan, and correspond with historical heat waves," says Cohen. The memory of past bleaching events on Jarvis is locked into these corals—they can tell us what has been going even though we weren't there to see it for ourselves." 
 
Jarvis has experienced above-average temperatures every four to seven years, going back decades or even centuries. The team discovered that with each heat wave, the reef experienced severe bleaching, yet seems to have bounced back fairly quickly each time. 
 
Based on their samples, the group thinks that one major reason for the reef's recovery is the currents nearby. The topography of the ocean floor, combined with the force of trade winds on the surface, brings cold, nutrient-rich water up from the deep. That upwelling feeds a dense array of fish and other aquatic life around the reef, which in turn eat away grassy algae that compete with the corals. In the process, they leave room for new, young coral polyps to eventually settle. 
 
"These reefs are resilient, having bleached and recovered many times, " says Dan Thornhill, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research. "But the 2015-2016 bleaching event was particularly severe, so the island is providing us with new insights into how some of the world's most resilient corals are faring in the face of severe bleaching stress." 
 
Understanding how coral reefs like Jarvis are able to recover after extensive bleaching will be essential for understanding how other reef ecosystems may grow back in the future, says Barkley. 
 
But the 2015 Super El Nino caused Jarvis to heat up more than it ever did before, and the bleaching that ensued was the worst on record. 95 percent of island's corals died. 
 
"The big question for us is whether the reef can bounce back at all this time," says Barkley. "Even reefs like Jarvis that have regrown in the past have a threshold beyond which they may not recover. What happens over next few years will really help us understand severe bleaching." 
 
Still, she's guardedly optimistic. "It's easy to look at a place like Jarvis after the 2015 bleaching event and feel depressed. But the historical record we got from our core samples says we're not beyond hope. Jarvis is just one example: even though we are seeing signs of accelerated bleaching and mortality worldwide, we have a narrow window to address the effects of climate change on corals. Some reefs may be able to persist through huge stress events." 
 
"The initial signs of recovery are there," says Cohen. "Now we wait, watch and learn."</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3278052571455340988'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/3278052571455340988'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2018/10/study-tracks-severe-bleaching-events-on.html' title='Study tracks severe bleaching events on a Pacific coral reef over the past century'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322865532175731446.post-8131949425488554939</id><published>2018-10-30T08:30:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2018-10-30T09:10:54.427+08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bleaching-events"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="global"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="reefs"/><title type='text'>Worst-recorded bleaching wipes out 73 per cent of UAE’s coral reefs</title><content type='html'>NYUAD-EEA study uncovers massive destruction in UAE
Anjana Kumar <a href="https://gulfnews.com/news/uae/weather/worst-recorded-bleaching-wipes-out-73-per-cent-of-uae-s-coral-reefs-1.2295261">Gulf News</a> 29 Oct 18; 
 
ABU DHABI: Over 73 per cent of coral reefs in the UAE have been wiped out due to bleaching, according to studies conducted by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) in collaboration with Emirates Environmental Agency (EEA). 
 
Coral bleaching is a phenomenon where coral reefs turn white due to exposure to high water temperature and other local impacts like sewage, overfishing, sedimentation, dredging and construction. Reefs located in warm, shallow water with low water flow are more prone to bleaching than those with higher water flow. 
 
John Burt, associate professor of biology and head of the marine lab at NYUAD said the worst recorded coral bleaching event in the region took place last year, stretching over 200 kilometres across UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. 
 
Nearly three fourths of our coral reefs were destroyed. But Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were the worst hit, losing 90 per cent of their reefs. 
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The Arabian Gulf is ideal for reef-building corals and substantial reefs have formed along the coast of the UAE, particularly along Abu Dhabi due to its shallow, calcium carbonate-rich waters. 
 
Causes for bleaching 
 
“Coral bleaching take place because of manmade conditions and global warming. Human activity like dredging, reclamation and overfishing and high water temperatures have negatively impacted our reefs. In the last decade we have seen water temperatures rise almost every year. This is taking a toll on the reefs,” said Burt. He also called for a ban on landfills and reclamations near coral reefs. 
 
How the degradation happens 
 
“Corals live in symbiosis with algae which grow inside their tissues. When the water temperature goes up, the algae gets expelled from the coral tissues, burning reefs and turning them white. 
Burt said the Gulf waters have seen many bleaching events in the past. “But the worst was last year when we had one of the hottest summers. We had a period of over five weeks with little wind, causing water temperatures to soar. This resulted in massive coral reef destruction. 
 
Why are coral reefs important 
 
“Coral reefs provide habitat and shelter for marine organisms. They protect the coastline from erosions due to external environmental factors. So it’s very important to protect them. More than 20 sites in the UAE have already been designated as marine protected areas. 
 
Recovery time 
 
“Corals take time to recover after bleaching. A team of experts are monitoring them. We are also trying to reduce the amount of dredging and reclamation in and around UAE coastal areas,” he said ahead of upcoming (November 5-) Gulf 3 International Conference in Al Ain where the study will be presented.</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8131949425488554939'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4322865532175731446/posts/default/8131949425488554939'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2018/10/worst-recorded-bleaching-wipes-out-73.html' title='Worst-recorded bleaching wipes out 73 per cent of UAE’s coral reefs'/><author><name>Ria Tan</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiiWjmxuACQhACMytytupw7dSG5Xq7Okf_KmetgEL6FricUkyjLENRiH4QDyt1ADv87695XJopE4QpyEeK-mZ-Lcbr8P0gNjkLTO08O4fw8qa8bPUyo3wtZqtvM2tJQ/s117/wildsing.jpg'/></author></entry></feed>

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