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Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group receives grant to monitor local reefs using CoralWatch
Robyn Parker, the NSW Minister for the Environment, has informed the Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group (SURG), based in Coffs Harbour, that is has been awarded a grant of $34,164 to monitor the health of coral communities in the Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP). The funds were granted under the NSW Environmental Trust program.
There is now overwhelming experimental evidence that climate change will have negative and potentially catastrophic impacts on the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. Understandably, the focus of most research has been on tropical systems but there is a need for greater recognition of subtropical reefs in the bigger climate change picture. For example, many members of the Coffs Harbour community would be unaware that corals dominate reefs in the Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP) and that these reefal communities provide habitat for a range of threatened and protected endemic species, and potential refuges for tropical taxa forced southward by increasing seawater temperatures.
A recent model for subtropical reefs in NSW predicts that many corals will bleach when seawater temperatures exceed 26.5C. Subsequent mortality will depend on the intensity of insolation at the location and the duration of the thermal anomaly. The model predicts that repeated bleaching events will lead to a decline in dominant coral species and thus a change in community structure.
Climate change will affect coral ecosystems reducing their diversity and ecological services. Coral health, as indicated by the incidence of bleaching and disease, in response to changing sea temperature, can be readily observed and monitored using well established protocols that are currently being deployed in tropical ecosystems. The use of CoralWatch protocols by SURG will enable hands-on monitoring and education tools to increase awareness of reef threats and encourage behaviourial change towards a sustainable, low-carbon future.
There is an urgent need to engage with regional communities to educate them about these important marine systems, the threats they are facing, and steps that can be taken to improve their resilience to future change. This project will do this through active participation in monitoring, the generation of educational materials on regional coral communities, and the promotion of measures that will reduce impacts on reef communities. The retention, recruitment and building capacity of individuals participating in the project are critical for promoting sustainable development locally and improving the ability of communities to address environmental and development issues.
Minister, ambassador launch Coral Reef and Climate Change Guide
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 05/20/2011 4:13 PM | National
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty on Friday launched the Indonesian version of the University of Queensland’s publication Coral Reefs and Climate Change: A Guide for Education and Awareness.
Fadel, working in collaboration with the University of Queensland, had arranged for the book to be translated into Indonesian.
“Australia is widely recognized for its world-class research in environmental sciences. We are pleased that through this book we will be able to contribute and work together in conserving the beautiful reefs of Indonesia,” Moriarty said in a release received by The Jakarta Post on Friday.
The book aims to increase awareness of coral reef science and preservation. It includes recent scientific research with informative images and covers topics including oceanography, coral reef biology and the implications of climate change.
It provides practical tools and recommendations to chart and measure the health of coral reefs and a program to encourage public involvement in reef conservation.
The original publication was launched in Australia in November 2009 and was produced and published by the Coral Watch Foundation at the University of Queensland.
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(photo left) Ambassador Greg Moriarty, Minister of Environment, Minister Fadel Muhammad, Vice Chancellor Paul Greenfield
(photo middle) Minister Fadel Muhammad reading the book
(photo right) Two co-authors Justin Marshall and Diana Kleine
KUWAIT, Sept 14 2010 - Diving Team discovers widescale coral bleaching in Kuwaiti waters
The Kuwait Diving Team have recorded a widescale bleaching occurrence of coral reef on the shores of Um Al-Maradim Island southeast of the country.
The team during inspectional rounds of marine life in the Kuwaiti shores, discovered bleaching that has affected more than 95 percent of coral surrounding the island, Head of the team's Environmental Projects, Mahmoud Ashkanani told KUNA on Tuesday. Coral bleaching is the whitening of corals, stress-induced expulsion or death of their symbiotic (an organism which lives in coral and gives it its distinct colour). This can be triggered environmentally and affects the coral's ability to supply these organisms with nutrients for photosynthesis (carbon dioxide, ammonium), thus leading to the organisms' expulsion. Ashkanani said that the huge scale of the bleaching is unprecedented, and has affected the all of the coral surrounding the island up to a depth of 10 meters. He added that dead fish were also found floating on the water surface, or laying between the coral, indicating to an extremely high water temperature of 34 degrees Celsius under a five-meter depth. The team have collected specimens of the coral, to dispatch to local and international labs for study, he said, calling for added significance to the phenomenon.
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THAILAND, July 6, 2010 – Coral Bleaching Update, Koh Tao
Over the last few months increasing sea temperatures and intense sunlight coupled with flat calm seas and low tides have lead to the most stark and vivid changes to our reefs on Koh Tao that any of us have ever seen.
Coral Bleaching has turned many of our corals a stark white colour with the threat lasting throughout a good part of April and May. (See our Bleaching Report in May for Full details).
June (especially late June) saw a huge reduction in the stress on the local reef. See temperatures dropped back to 30 degrees Celsius (from highs of 32 underwater and up to 34 on the surface, wind and cloud cover increased, visibility dropped all aiding the recovery of the coral.
What we are starting to see now is an increase in the abundance of symbiotic algae in the corals that have survived. Some corals have suffered mortality, but these thankfully seem limited to a few less robust species mostly of the family acropora. This recovery is evident in the increase in colour (from a stark white to a light brown or green and finally to a darker brown) with the hope that favourable conditions will continue, water temperatures will remain stable (or decrease) and the corals will continue to return to health.
We have continued our monitoring efforts using a number of methodologies at our disposal – Reef Check’s Eco Monitoring , Project Aware’s Coralwatch and our own tagged, numbered corals have been monitored using and photographic surveys. It is important to collect as much data as we can during this unusual phenomenon to establish the resilience of our local ecosystem.
Assuming recovery continues what we hope to determine is which corals are more robust and resilient to such events so that for future reef restoration projects we can look at protecting and preserving those species that are likely to survive.
We still have a long way to go but the signs are encouraging. If you would like to join us for any monitoring or restorative activities email Nathan Cook nath@ecokohtao.com or logon to www.facebook.com/ecokohtao for upcoming events.
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