Posted on 03/08/2010 4:08:30 PM PST by Polybius
January's big chill led to widespread death of corals in many near shore and mid-channel reefs from Biscayne Bay to Summerland Key, but most of the popular offshore diving and fishing reefs in the Florida Keys were spared.
A survey conducted at 78 sites throughout the Florida Reef tract from Martin County to the Keys also found that corals fared well north of Miami and in the Lower Keys west to the Dry Tortugas.
Analysis of the data collected by 31 scientists from 13 organizations has not been completed to determine the amount of coral damage throughout the island chain. But James Byrne of The Nature Conservancy said it is more severe than the die-off from South Florida's last cold-water event in 1977 that killed hundreds of acres of staghorn and elkhorn coral.
Microbiologist Kim Ritchie of Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota saw many casualties of the recent cold, including boulder-sized star and brain corals that she estimated were growing when Henry Flagler built Florida's overseas railroad a century ago.
``It's very sad,'' she said.
Scientists know much more about the affects of extreme warm water on corals. Over the past three decades, there have been several ``bleaching'' events of corals living along the world's third largest living reef system.
When water reaches 88 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer, corals bleach and turn a telltale white. This occurs when they become stressed and expel an algae that supplies energy and oxygen and gives the colorless coral its brilliant color.
If the water cools within a few days, the algae returns and corals often recover.
It's been 32 years since corals in the Keys have coped with extreme cold water. Scientists have discovered this time that the stressed corals appeared to die a quick death.
``They're skipping the bleaching affect,'' said Byrne, marine science program manager for The Nature Conservancy, which spearheads the multi-organization Florida Reef Resilience Team.
During the first two weeks of January, water temperatures in some parts of the Keys dropped to the upper 40s and low 50s, about 20 degrees lower than average temperatures and well below the lethal lower limit for corals of 60 degrees.
Tides brought the cold water of Florida and Biscayne bays to the reefs on the Atlantic side of the island chain through two channels. The offshore reefs did not see dramatic drops in water temperature due to the buffer of warm Florida Current.
The corals hardest hit by the latest die-off were in the mid-channel reefs -- but those corals also have been among the most resilient to warm-water bleaching.
``Hopefully, it means the conditions are there for them to be able to recover from this,'' Byrne said. ``We're going to keep an eye on them.''
Scientists are trying to take advantage of this rare cold-water event in the Keys to learn as much as they can. Ritchie is researching coral immunity to see if the affected corals are more susceptible to disease. Other scientists this summer will see if the cold affected the ability of coral to spawn.
To ease the stress on the hardest hit coral areas, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has suspended permits to scientists to collect coral and coral fragments. Divers also are encouraged to seek non-stressed areas such as wrecks, artificial reefs and offshore reefs to give the corals a chance to recover.
- Al Gore, 2009
ROTFLMAO!
~ Al Gore
This “global warming” really is an SOB isn’t it? LOL
Question: how did these primitive fragile little animals survive ice ages and heat waves for millions of years without our help?
Hmm?
They should stick their thermometers somewhere useful - up any convenient orifice.
This is Gore’s fault. He needs to be tried for crimes against the environment!
Hmmn, indeed. The article was in the Miami Herald, a paper known for its pervasive collectivism.
I suggest that the significant line is:
“To ease the stress on the hardest hit coral areas, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has suspended permits to scientists to collect coral and coral fragments.”
That sounds like the gooberment we have all come to know and loath. When a rare chance to gather data about coral response to abnormally cold water, Da Gooberment “suspended permits to scientists”.
Good move, Goobers!
BAN COLD WEATHER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m confused. I was told that global warming was killing coral.
And before that, it was pollution.
A good way not to “skew” any warm-water temperature measuremnets too I imagine.
It’s amazing that we have any coral at all. It’s like baby seals: they both get wiped out by everything that environmental extremists don’t like, but they somehow manage to hold on for one more crisis.
Science is much like logic and debate. Who frames the questions controls the debate.
Creation of a metastatic federal government guaranteed that sooner or later, funding for science would become a federal activity.
Rather than a multiplicity of funding sources, scientists grew accustomed to a fat funding cash flow from the federal agencies.
To a lesser degree, state agencies also became the other source of funding.
Another factor was the enormous growth of agency owned lands. Any scientist or educator who does not support the agenda of the agency owning the land is denied access to “the resource”.
Collectivists in government have defunded and locked out all who might disagree with the agenda of the government.
It is no surprise that nearly all scientists decided to become supporters of whatever the agencies wanted.
The scientists accepted the agency imposed limitations on free inquiry, thus effectively rendering said scientists “scientific castrati” - neutered, and willing to sing together in the agency choir.
That is how scientists came to abandon free inquiry for the guaranteed funding flow which government gives to those who embrace the agency “Agenda Uber Alles”.
“GroupThink” is alive and metastasizing in a college/university near you.
PS You are paying for those intellectual and scientific perverts.
PPS Unavoidably, the bills for allowing commies to control science will be payed by your children and grandchildren.
Higher taxes will make the weather perfect forever.
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