The folks at Shifting Baselines have been writing about threats to marine ecosystems for a long time, but this paragraph is not from them.
No, no, no, no, and no.
NOT much is known about the sea, it is said; the surface of Mars is better mapped. But 2,000 holes have now been drilled in the bottom, 100,000 photographs have been taken, satellites monitor the five oceans and everywhere floats fitted with instruments rise and fall like perpetual yo-yos. Quite a lot is known, and very little is reassuring."Very little is reassuring." Who might have written that? Greenpeace? Environmental Defense Fund? Natural Resources Defense Council? The Nature Conservancy? Sierra Club?
No, no, no, no, and no.
That's the first paragraph in a leader from this week's Economist. In addition to the leader there is a 16-page special report on environmental problems in the seas.
As if on cue, this week's Science includes a report on Porites corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Skeletal measurements show that they are growing 13% less than in 1990. Reduced coral growth leads to reduced habitat complexity and may lead to declines of many other species associated with coral reefs. The authors conclude
G. De'ath, J. M. Lough, K. E. Fabricius (2009). Declining Coral Calcification on the Great Barrier Reef Science, 323 (5910), 116-119 DOI: 10.1126/science.1165283
As if on cue, this week's Science includes a report on Porites corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Skeletal measurements show that they are growing 13% less than in 1990. Reduced coral growth leads to reduced habitat complexity and may lead to declines of many other species associated with coral reefs. The authors concludeOur data show that growth and calcification of massive Porites in the GBR are already declining and are doing so at a rate unprecedented in coral records reaching back 400 years. If Porites calcification is representative of that in other reef-building corals, then maintenance of the calcium carbonate structure that is the foundation of the GBR will be severely compromised. Verification of the causes of this decline should be made a high priority. Additionally, if temperature and carbonate saturation are responsible for the observed changes, then similar changes are likely to be detected in the growth records from other regions and from other calcifying organisms. These organisms are central to the formation and function of ecosystems and food webs, and precipitous changes in the biodiversity and productivity of the world's oceans may be imminent. (emphasis added)
G. De'ath, J. M. Lough, K. E. Fabricius (2009). Declining Coral Calcification on the Great Barrier Reef Science, 323 (5910), 116-119 DOI: 10.1126/science.1165283
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