Ocean coral reefs gone in 40 years??

[Salsaking]

Does anyone know if this is true about coral reefs. According to the Imax film, experts say that the coral reefs will be gone in 40 years. That's what i read at least. Does anyone know if this is true or not true. Or is this just hype?? What do you all think, or know.

Salsaking

 

[NaH2O]

Hmmm....that's tough to say. The film is pretty good, and I remember that comment. Is it all coral reefs, or just certain reefs? It don't remember and it really doesn't matter, but I think the statement might be if things continue to progress the way they currently are. The devistation shown in the film was incredible. The reefs have been around for many many many years and have had to adapt to their changing conditions, so I wonder if they will begin to adapt to new conditions? It is something to think about. Good question

 

[Mushroom Boy]

All the more reason to strive to only purchase captive raised creatures.

 

[Chimera]

The composition of existing reefs may change, with organisms liking the new conditions taking over, and existing ones moving to where they are now better suited. No way will the reefs just dissapear. That is typical alarmist reporting designed to catch your eye.

 

[jazznreef]

i heard if humans stop degrading the reefs today it would still take thousands of years to reverse the damage we've done in the past 30 years.

 

[Chimera]

The truth is that the median age of a coral on the reef is around 4 years. It doesn't take centuries to grow most corals. As you know from observing your own tank. Of course, there are certain types that can live to be that old, and take time to become massive. But most are much quicker about it. I'm not saying that there isn't damage, or that there might not have been a golden age of reefs or whatever.

But to say that a group of organisms that have lived through epochal changes that wiped out vast swaths of life on this planet can't survive a 2 degree change in the weather is far fetched in the extreme.

IMO.

 

[jase0723]

lovelove

I did read on MSNBC that the reefs will suffer significant damage in the next 10 years or so, and that reef systems around the world maybe gone within a few decades. They said the reason is global warming and the "green house" effect resulting from the many gases released into the atmosphere. They also said that it maybe too late to reverse the damage. Large portions on the great barrier reef is already suffering significant damage and coral bleachings as a result of the rise in ocean temperature from the effects of global warming. The Australian goverment is trying desperately protect the barrier reef system, but many scientists think the trend is irreversable. We maybe the last generation of people who can enjoy this hobby. If there were no reefs around the world I don't think this hobby would be as exciting or fun, infact it maybe down right depressing.

 

[jazznreef]

i agree jase... chimera, you are trivializing the significance of the real problem.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

This is a topic that needs to be kept current! 40 years could be optomistic if trends continue...

Global Warming Is Destroying Coral Reefs, Major Study Warns

ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2007) — The largest living structures on Earth and the millions of livelihoods which depend upon them are at risk, the most definitive review yet of the impact of rising carbon emissions on coral reefs has concluded.

"This crisis is on our doorstep, not decades away. We have little time in which to respond, but respond, we must!" says Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, lead author of the Science paper, The Carbon Crisis: Coral Reefs under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification.

Read more >> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213152600.htm

 

[packer]

The climate on this world has, is, and always will change. To scream global warming and blame it on human lifestyle is wrong. YES the human element is adding to the cause and effect of many things, but who is to say the climate we have now is the "perfect" climate and we need to stop the change. Maybe for so long before our records the world was in a better climate state and is heading back that direction. Good luck stopping the worlds climate change, it would be easier to stand on the beach and put your arm out to stop a tidal wave. And what about all the water chemistry changes both natural and man helped.Pollution, phosphates,bacterial content... All we can do its hope the best that corals will adapt. I am sure we are not seeing a few that were around over a million years ago, but are seeing also many others that have evolved. To say the reefs will be gone in 40 years.... and well then what also are next weeks winning lotto numbers from one who can predict how it will be in a given time period?

 

[120gallons]

On my podcast, the first time Eric Borneman came on he talked about it a bit. Things are changing as we speak. He talks of diving at sites that once had huge elkhorn corals and now just skeletons....CO2 and the acidifciation of the oceans is causing a lot of harm.

It's certainly going to be near impossible since the world relies on fossil fuels to change the course.

As hobbyists we all need to be as environmentally friendly as possible. This means where possible:

Buying captive breed
Buying fragged corals
Trying to breed new fish and corals and sharing the info
Being responsible with endangered species (like not buying wild bangaii's except in the case of trying to captive breed them, until there are enough captive bred, so we don't need to buy wild caught at all)

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Large parts of the Caribbean reefs have been bleached out, rising temperature is the current likely suspect. Shrinking ice sheets, disappearing glaciers the world around, record temperatures, not too hard to find "anecdotal evidence."

If scientists are wrong and we act on it, we leave the world a little cleaner for our great grandchildren.

If the scientists are right and we fail to act, we leave them a world much less hospitable and with a much smaller biodiversity.

Protecting our reefs starts with sharing a concern.

 

[joker577]

I think...even though im 16, that we as reefers do hold a sense of responsibility when it comes to our tanks. Imagine if in 40 years they did die out, the only remaining reefs would be in our hands and I believe that gives us motivation to take better care of our tanks and better care of our animals, because one day they just might not be there

 

[morgan]

id just like to say that my lfs owner dives the barrier reef couple times of year to collect corals and has told me that in the bast 20 years or so hes been diving it, it hasnt changed much sure theres bleaching theres always been bleachings, u can say that there maybe some corals that couldnt take a tempreture rise but theres alot of corals that can go through 33 deg temps and be find not to mention the corals that live in tide pools and sit in water thats up to 40degs
i hear alot of this stuff about coral reefs dying but i onestly cant see it, i see huge dead corals where i dive aswell as lots of healthy stuff what im saying is how long has that coral been dead for 5 years 25 years 250 years? i personally cant see it
by the way i see u guys got some bad weather in the states hope eveyone here is ok there here is hot everyday and the beach is going off diving season is in full swing

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Great barrier reef isn't in perfect shape.

http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-corals.html

http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/features/greatbarrierreef.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/254122.stm

http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Labs/TermPapersFall99-00/Schlazer/webpage-geo.html

 

[Scooterman]

I was watching where through the ice ages the reefs were destroyed in huge quantities & grew back bigger & better, also corals adapted to higher temps. There will certainly be another Ice age also, when is the question but that will destroy a lot in itself. We are speeding up global warming but in time we won't have the largest impact, only in our time. One last thing, the Great Barrier reef is constantly moving & it grew in the right place under the right conditions but the shelf is still moving & within a few more thousand years it most probably won't exist there. There is a lot of guessing going on & the biggest fear is what happens in our life time, or the next generations to come.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Our species in a very very short time has caused greater extinctions than nature ever could. Yes an asteroid or nuclear winter can cause greater harm than us changing the chemistry of the atmosphere and the oceans Ph, but this is no reason to not prevent this damage. Take a look at the rate rain forests and jungles are being clearcut for charcoal production and grazing land. I am not talking about era lengths of time, talking about as you stated, generations of man. There has to be a better way.

It takes more than a few thousand years to move a continent.
The island of Hawaii is less than 1 million years old and still volcanically active, while Kauai is about 5 million and Midway, far to the northeast, is 27 million. That is a long period of time between some fairly close islands created by existence over the same hot spot.

"Present-day Australia
Because of the movement of the plates, Gondwanaland gradually broke up. India, South America, Africa and Arabia started to separate at different times and fan out northwards.

About 90 million years ago a rift in the land started to develop between Australia (attached to what is now New Guinea) and Antarctica. By about 65-45 million years ago, the two areas were clearly separating, as Australia started its long drift northwards and Antarctica stayed almost stationary near the pole. By 35 million years ago the break was complete, and deep water separated the two continents."

 

[Reeferdude]

Not sure if many participate or pay close attention to the global debate on climate change or world events or if some of you fine people out there are even old enough to remember what has been historical rhetoric, but to believe that scientist know what they're talking about when trying to predict earths patterns you would have to rely on articles like this one written back in December 1972 where environmental alarmist scientists warned of a impending "Ice Age". Time Magazine December 30, 1972

OR! If you believe that global warming is cyclical and less attributed to human existence you could rely on many articles and several publications, one by noted "scientists" Fred Singer and Dennis T Avery called "Unstoppable Global Warming. Every 1500 Years".

I can remember then president Jimmy Carter's rhetoric about a gas shortage. A scare that created huge lines at the gas pumps all across the country which was caused by alarmist scientists claiming that we would be out of fossil fuels in less than 40 years. Well I hate to say it but that was along time ago and we still have yet to make a dent in the earths oil supplies. Fact is the world is cooler than it was 40 years ago. The Polar Ice Caps are increasing NOT decreasing. Polar Bears are dieing off. Their population is larger than it was 40 years ago and the Coral Reefs are NOT in danger.

Believe it or not, "Humans" are not the incredibly irresponsible destructive heartless and ignorant beasts you would have to think we are in order to believe all the BS drivel that spews from the pie holes of the likes of Gore and the U.N., An Anti-American international policy making farce which takes up far too real estate in NY at the tax payers expense and would have us paying billions of dollars based on arbitrary International doctrine like the Kyoto Protocol.

The heart of this discussion is complex and time consuming and I could go on but I think I'll stop. I've said enough for now...I think you now know where I stand on this whole media generated anti-American global Warming billions of dollars a year industry.


Forgot to add that during that supposed gas crunch of the Carter administration the federal government lowered the speed limit on freeways to "save gas". So for you out there that have been wondering why it's 55MPH....It's because we were running short on fossil fuels...

 

[packer]

Well said Reeferdude!

 

[thumperss]

thay say every 1000 to 1500 years this hapens global warming and the "green house" will kill it all sooner it is not just us takeing from the reef thay say that when this hapens and we keep the reef tanks going it will help bring it back. when it is time.
Brandon