100% coral reef mortality

[Doctorgori]

From CBS News.

(right now no comment outta respect to the TOS) …but suffice to say there are a hulluva lotta “protected” dead frags now littering the bottom of the Florida Keys :confused:

edited

 

[blaxsun]

That sucks to be sure.

 

[piranhaman00]

I wonder what’s causing this?

 

[hyprc]

I wonder what’s causing this?

Water temps hitting 90 degrees in some areas... it's high all around though.

Edit: 93+ according to the article...

 

[piranhaman00]

Water temps hitting 90 degrees in some areas... it's high all around though.

Edit: 93+ according to the article...

I was being sarcastic

 

[D E N I N O]

The great barrier reef went through the same thing a few years ago, and now it's at record coral cover.

These animals have been around for millions of years, they will bounce back.

 

[Troylee]

From CBS News.

(right now no comment outta respect to the TOS) …but suffice to say there are a hulluva lotta “protected” dead frags now littering the bottom of the Florida Keys :confused:

edited

Lots of calcium reactor media… at Least it’s not a total loss!

 

[Pntbll687]

So I have a couple questions about this
1. How long ago were the frags planted?
2. How were they grown and kept in whatever aquaculture facility they were in?

I ask because the video attached to the article, the frags looked pretty new, like still see the frag plug new. Now I'm not a scientist, but a freshly cut coral getting hit with high temp water, probably not a good combo.

This actually brings up something Jake had talked about on reef builders a couple times. Does our ability to keep ultra stable parameters in aquaculture and hobby scenarios weaken the coral by not allowing it to adjust to different temps?

 

[D E N I N O]

The other obvious point to this is, where did they put these corals...

If there was no coral already there it could be for good reason. How did they know this spot was even suitable?

 

[Sump Crab]

So I have a couple questions about this
1. How long ago were the frags planted?
2. How were they grown and kept in whatever aquaculture facility they were in?

I ask because the video attached to the article, the frags looked pretty new, like still see the frag plug new. Now I'm not a scientist, but a freshly cut coral getting hit with high temp water, probably not a good combo.

This actually brings up something Jake had talked about on reef builders a couple times. Does our ability to keep ultra stable parameters in aquaculture and hobby scenarios weaken the coral by not allowing it to adjust to different temps?

That’s interesting. I would hope that facilities trying to reintroduce captive coral to the ocean would be smart enough to develop coral that can withstand the change they see in the ocean. Maybe raise the coral in tanks that temps do reach the 90s at times? It would be an interesting experiment if anything else.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Are there any known heat-resistant corals native to that area? Google only comes up with a study about corals being taken from higher temp areas being more heat-resistant. If this is the new normal for temperature swings then they'll have to rebuild/restore differently.

 

[Reefer Matt]

The great barrier reef went through the same thing a few years ago, and now it's at record coral cover.

These animals have been around for millions of years, they will bounce back.

From what I'm seeing it's total coral loss. RTN, not bleaching.

 

[Reefer Matt]

https://www.coralrestoration.org/post/historic-heatwave-triggering-coral-die-off-in-florida

 

[HomebroodExotics]

The great barrier reef went through the same thing a few years ago, and now it's at record coral cover.

These animals have been around for millions of years, they will bounce back.

Sure, we just might not be around after lol.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Are there any known heat-resistant corals native to that area? Google only comes up with a study about corals being taken from higher temp areas being more heat-resistant. If this is the new normal for temperature swings then they'll have to rebuild/restore differently.

We are way past the point of being heat resistant. Turn your tank to 93 and see how many heat resistant corals there are.

 

[ReefED!]

The great barrier reef went through the same thing a few years ago, and now it's at record coral cover.

These animals have been around for millions of years, they will bounce back.

This is correct

I would like to see some solutions for reducing acidification in the reef areas (perhaps large macro algae farms) that don't come from propagandists flying around on private jets telling me to eat bugs to change the weather

As far as heat waves in the currents killing corals, this has been happening for millions of years - the planet has seen much warmer climates.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Please do not turn this political. Posts have been removed including those that quoted political posts. Please just report posts that violate the TOS.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

The great barrier reef went through the same thing a few years ago, and now it's at record coral cover.

These animals have been around for millions of years, they will bounce back.

There's a lot more to that than just recovery.

“Instead of a diverse, old-growth forest, [the reef] may now be like a monoculture of planted pulp trees,’” says Hughen. With less diversity of corals on the Great Barrier, he adds, there will also be fewer structures that house and feed various species of fish and marine invertebrates. Some, like the parrotfish—a valuable grazer that keeps algae from smothering corals—have already suffered decline in the northern third of the reef following mass bleaching events that began in 2016.


So how do we know whether to celebrate recovery on the Great Barrier Reef? This opens a long-held debate about the distinction between words like “recovery,” “recovered,” and “healthy.”


“Health depends on your perspective,” says Hughen. “There’s a lot of variability on any given reef, so these things aren’t just perfect until they’re messed with. They’re in flux.”

https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/is-the-great-barrier-reef-making-a-comeback/
A bit like a drought wiping out my garden due to heatwaves, then allowing dandelions and purple lupine to explode in number once temps back off from extremes, and calling that recovery. It's a mix of good and bad. As hobbyists, not sure there is a lot to like about loss of diversity.

I think we will all still take it over what it looked like originally - total collapse.

 

[JohnNYC8]

We are way past the point of being heat resistant. Turn your tank to 93 and see how many heat resistant corals there are.

Some corals can survive temperature swings up to 104*.

I’m sincerely asking if any are native to that area.

 

[AScientificReefer]

So I have a couple questions about this
1. How long ago were the frags planted?
2. How were they grown and kept in whatever aquaculture facility they were in?

They're grown in the ocean in underwater structures such as this (pic below). Its a project that has been going on for over 10 1/2 years. They grow native corals in these structures and then plant them around local reefs. Florida has been decimated by higher temps for years now. It used to be an amazing beautiful reef ecosystem that's going barren. The corals and wildlife cant keep up with these temperatures.