Environment

Vanishing reefs: reefs the new rainforest

by ryan | August 8, 2007 at 10:09 am

718 views | 10 Recommendations | 1 comment

This isn't a magic trick, the coral reef really is disappearing. It's hard to keep track of all the things going wrong with the planet, but this one seems quite real and undisputable.

Coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific are disappearing twice as fast as tropical rainforests, say researchers. They have completed the first comprehensive survey of coral reefs in this region, which is home to 75% of the world's reefs.

John Bruno and Elizabeth Selig of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the US compiled data from 6000 studies that between them tracked the fate of 2600 reefs in the Indo-Pacific between 1968 and 2004. They used the extent to which reefs were covered by live coral as an indication of their health.

The cause of the decline is only speculative. It is interesting to note that there was little difference between protected and unprotected reefs. The cause, according to the authors of the study, warmer seas.

The researchers found little difference between protected and unprotected reefs. "Well-managed reefs are definitely doing better in terms of fish population but not in terms of coral cover," Selig told New Scientist.

This uniformity has led Selig and Bruno to conclude that warming seas as a result of climate change are likely to be driving the rapid decline. Warmer oceans cause coral bleaching because higher temperatures kill their symbiotic algae. They also help diseases spread across reefs.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Kaitlin

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:49 on August 8th, 2007

Thanks, Ryan. The reefs are one of those hidden treasures that people tend to overlook. You've played a small but appreciated part in raising awareness, here. Good work.