Goreau report on massive Aussie bleaching

[tdwyatt]

Necessary reading:Thomas Goreau --New Scientist article

[Macaw Guy]

That's good readin' - gets my analyst-type head spinning:

1) Any theories on whether this is an ongoing, necessary process similar to the conifers that can only multiply after intense heat? If our forests require destruction in order for new life to occur...you see where I'm going here. Are there any records of mass-bleachings prior to the dates listed in the attached article?

2) I was (just 5 mins ago) reading a post on RC with Eric Borneman and there is great study being done on the ability to "engineer" the color of corals by "swapping" zooxanthellae. Odd coincidence that I read a study about how scientists are trying to MAKE this happen so they can study the diversification of zooxanthallae, and then I read this.

I'm done rambling now - just some odd thoughts that might get your heads spinning too!

-Andrew

[Spanky]

Odd coincidence that I read a study about how scientists are trying to MAKE this happen so they can study the diversification of zooxanthallae

Actually the practical application was so we could "mark" cultured corals as opposed to "collected" and have a way of keeping records on them.
My favorites are the ones we made glow in the dark or under black light.

Here's a old picture of Bruno he glows purple.

Jerel

[Macaw Guy]

Jerel-

How about the subject of cyclic bleachings? Is there anything in the geological record to support this sort of thing? Is there any way of analyzing old dead coral skeletons to examine the presence of zoox in them?

I'm certain you science-types have already gone down this road. In high school I always wanted to study Marine biology because of the fact that the oceans are the beginning and end of all life on earth. For someone with ABSOLUTELY NO FORMAL EDUCATION on ths subject, how would you suggest I get started? Heck, I'd scrape algae in exchange for the opportunity to learn. hint, hint

Andrew

[Spanky]

Andew,

We actually have a great geological record site on the property here in the keys. But unfortunately there's no way to study fossilized zoox. You can see where they've been though.

I would suggest you take a job with any of the major collectors (fish or inverts). Hang out in the lab and ask a lot a questions. Make yourself useful so they don't run you off.

[Alice]

C'mon now Jerel, if you're going to show the glow-in-the dark crowd, you have to put up a pic of the most famous "lady of the evening."

Alice

[Spanky]

OK

click here > Helen

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Jerel: Helen a lady she is!! My baby got a hold on me!!!! Johnny

[Alice]

I posted on one of the Oz boards about the bleaching phenom to see if someone could give us a little more info.

Alice

[FishDaddy]

Jerel,
Helen is looking soooo fine!

Here's some more info (with pictures) about the current bleaching event on the GBR:
http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/researc...cb2002-00.html
Dick

[Alice]

Dick: you da man

[FishDaddy]

Originally posted by Alice
Dick: you da man

Naaahhhh, Alice. Google da man!!!!
Dick

[Alice]

Ok, I'm hoping someone will chime in here and "refine my understanding."

Corals and the reef habitat are pretty hardy in general and have fairly amazing recuperative powers, always dying back and rebuilding in some fashion over the eons. Within certain parameters, corals are pretty tough to kill in the wild. However, they live "on the edge" so to speak and it doesn't take too much exposure outside the parameters to affect their survival. There have been mass bleachings and die-offs in the past, often because of one particular set of circumstances. The massive bleaching events of the last decade or so, seem to be a combination of factors, from land-use run-off, to El-Nino, to pollution, ect. against which the reefs have been unable to rally. It's been the combination more than just one single factor that is doing the damage.

The links that Dick gave, from a quick reading, seem to support this. The slides that show the water-temp colors are all high closest to land and it seems that some of the most severe damage, at this stage, is located close to the more heavily populated areas.

Alice

[dark horge]

Hmmm...

I remember when the '98 bleach (Maldives) hoo-haa was all over the science news, and it was old Tom Goreau and his organization doing all the hooing and the haaing, poor UNEP a captive audience.

I remember quite a number of other large-scale bleaches over the decades.




I know that wild corals can get the "zoox-pukes" for a variety of reasons, temperature shock being one of them.

What I don't know is what anyone is supposed to do about it.

[Alice]

"zoox-pukes"

I didn't see that term in their literature, Horge, lol.