CNN/Reuters: NASA monitoring Great Barrier Reef

[DeepModem Mom]

NASA monitoring Great Barrier Reef


A satellite image of Heron Island within the Great Barrier Reef where fast and widespread coral bleaching is takng place.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- NASA satellites that monitor ocean color and temperature have joined a global effort to study the worrisome bleaching of coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the U.S. space agency said on Wednesday.

Coral reefs get bleached when water is too warm, which forces out tiny algae that live in the coral and help it to thrive and give it its vivid color, NASA said in a statement.

Without these algae, coral can whiten and eventually die.

"Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the largest and most complex system of reefs in the world, and like so many of the coral reefs in the world's oceans, it's in trouble," said oceanographer Gene Carl Feldman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center outside Washington....

***

"The Great Barrier Reef is an icon, and we just want to know what we can do to save it," said (University of Queensland Scarla Weeks) "Sea surface temperatures over the last five months are actually higher in certain locations now than they were in 2002 when we witnessed the worst bleaching incident to date."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/04/06/nasa.reef.bleaching.reut/index.html

[hatrack]

1. And water temperatures are already above record 2002 levels

At least, in some areas of the reef.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x49220

[Massachusetts]

2. Unfortunately

SADLY, MOST people don't care and environmental clock is to far ahead of we Humans.

[RedEarth]

3. These are probably just scientist saying this .... no big deal

[Ratty]

11. You can't eat 'em. You can't shoot 'em.

So who cares?

[BootinUp]

4. First time I heard about that.

Not good.

[AlabamaYankee]

5. I have an off-the-wall question

Has anybody looked into the possible effects on coral of the predicted overall rise in sea levels? If the water is deeper, might it be cool enough to stop the bleaching, or would it then be too deep for the coral to survive?

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Way beyond my knowledge -- but I'll bet somebody here...

has an idea.

[willows]

9. an answer of sorts

Hey, it takes YEARS for coral beds to even start. It's a very very demanding ecosystem, needing specific nitrate rates, an atmosphere condusive to symbiotic growth, etc. With dept, and pressure changes more abrubtly than normal, you can loose integral chemicals in sea water.

And...it would not be good if the sea levels continued to rise because that would help destroy other ecosystems.

The problem of all of these effects of pollution is that it destroys the delicate balances in nature.

Some coral reefs are formed by brain and antler corals attaching to rock/earth just below the surface. As that land mass is pulled deeper/covered more the coral bed rises and rises (by propagation, they form right on top of each other), and collects more organisms to live inside of it.

This is a process that takes longer than our lifetime, and would include many more years after.

The rise in sea level could destroy salt marshes, estuaries, and coastal cities. Not to mention screw up worldwide fisheries.

In the time frame of bleaching to sea level rise the prospect of the coral moving to better temperatures would be a moot point, as they'd be dead by then.

[DeepModem Mom]

10. And thanks again, willows!

[AlabamaYankee]

12. Thanks

So rising warmer water is a double whammy. it would have been too much to expect something good.

[willows]

7. Marine Bio

Ah, one of the reasons I'm a Marine Biology Major.
Unfortunately, I can't see a way to help the coral. I do understand though that the problems we see now, and saw years ago, are rehashed every year, but still nothing really gets done about it.
The GBR has been in trouble for over 10years. This is naturally occuring and hugely 'our' fault. But it's not an easy task, deliberating over human necessitities, and wants, and then healthy environments.

The majority of people who have a say so in the matters, are people who don't see anything wrong with a true technological age. So many people read those sci fi fantasies for a reason. To have a world where hunting, kayaking,etc is really a sport and privilage.
That's what we're heading towards.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. Thanks for your excellent post, willows -- and welcome to DU!

[calimary]

13. This is just heartbreaking. Thanks for the insights from your specialty.

It gives me a big fat ache in my heart.

What will these assholes do when they've completely befouled the planet thinking that'll rush the Second Coming and force Jesus to come back on THEIR schedule, not His, and He fails to show up because it's not time yet?

It makes me think back to bush's lame "we'll all be dead" comment - looks like he's gonna make that happen to all of us. :cry:

Glad you posted, willows, and welcome to DU. I wish there were something we could do about it, but I'm afraid you're correct.

[Synnical]

14. I initially read the OP as "NSA monitoring Great Barrier Reef"

My Bad. :spank:

No need to wonder why my DU name is Synnical.

:)

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Who knows -- they might be! nt