Is Cyclone Yasi going to devestate our already suffering natural coral reefs?

[Faciosity]

Is Cyclone Yasi going to devastate our already suffering natural coral reefs?

I have read/heard so many things that are putting a huge toll on our natural coral reef ecosystems, and this is the latest. Yasi forecast to be most powerful cyclone to hit Australia - Yahoo! News
The Buzz Log - Cyclone Yasi Rocks the Web - Yahoo! Buzz

I pray for all the people that may be in it's path :sorry:, but also for all the natural environment that may be seriously harmed. This type of thing is bound to happen from time to time, but under the pressure from existing problems, I am concerned for the ability of a reef to rebuild properly after broken.

I'm no expert, but I can imagine the force and current putting a good amount of damage on anything under water at shallow depths.

 

[07FocusST]

Lets put it this way... The Reef and Australia.... Yeah.... It's going to be bad!! Very bad!!!

 

[baseballkid5]

True Optimism.... Consider it a cleaning for the Reef.

 

[mcoomer]

The cyclone is going to do to the reefs what it's always done. The problem is that once mankind began the industrial revolution nature was no longer able to clean up its messes as fast as they occurred. I hope the reef gets cleaned out and recovers but chances are that if it happens at all it will be many, many years from now.

If you're down there keep you head down and hang on. Best wishes.

Mike

 

[07FocusST]

Lol, No one will have anything near the GPH flow this storm will create on the reef.... just a funny thought. I guess it will keep all that detrius (sp?) suspended to keep the rock work clean. I hope some corals will take the opportunity to spawn and spread.

 

[user 2204]

Coral reefs can be damaged by natural events such as the cyclone hitting Australia now. But generally, storms are something that most corals and fish have adapted to and as long as they are in good health, they will be able to recover.

Most corals will benefit from storms such as these, because these storms churn up cooler waters from below and help aid in coral bleaching and the effects thereof.

Most damage will be caused by the excessive wave activity that can break apart corals and would cause the most damage. Branching SPS corals are most susceptible to storm damage than other soft or mound-building corals. Storms rarely kill ALL corals, and because storms are a natural part of coral reef ecosystems, coral species are usually well adapted to these types of disturbances and should be able to recover following any storm.

Human alteration and over harvesting would most likely cause more of a difficulty for the coral reefs to recover from these bigger storms. But of course this is why we all try and buy captive grown corals, right?