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http:\/\/coralreefwatch.noaa.gov\/climate\/projections\/piccc_oa_and_bleaching\/index.php<\/p>\n
Contact: Jeff Burgett, PICCC Science Coordinator 808-687-6149<\/a> \u00a0 Email: jeff.burgett@piccc.net<\/a> ——————————<\/p>\n “A world without coral reefs is unimaginable.” http:\/\/coralreefwatch.noaa.gov\/climate\/projections\/piccc_oa_and_bleaching\/index.php Contact: Jeff Burgett, PICCC Science Coordinator 808-687-6149 \u00a0 Email: jeff.burgett@piccc.net > > > Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i. \u00a0February 18, 2014 \u2013 An international team of coral reef scientists has used the latest global climate models to reveal timelines for the accelerating decline of the world\u2019s coral reefs through the end of the century. \u00a0If global … Continue reading Coral-list: New study reveals timeline of future coral reef decline, highlights urgent need for action by Dr. van Hooidonk and Dr. Jeffrey Maynard<\/span>
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\n> Honolulu, Hawai\u2019i. \u00a0February 18, 2014 \u2013 An international team of coral reef scientists has used the latest global climate models to reveal timelines for the accelerating decline of the world\u2019s coral reefs through the end of the century. \u00a0If global emissions of greenhouse gases keep rising at or near the current rate, \u201cwithin 40 years, nearly all coral reefs globally will be subjected to stressful conditions so regularly that reefs are unlikely to persist as we know them,\u201d says study co-lead Dr. Ruben van Hooidonk.
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\n> Dr. van Hooidonk and his co-lead Dr. Jeffrey Maynard developed interactive online maps of their study results, showing the timelines for when each coral reef area will experience critical levels of temperature stress and ocean acidification. \u00a0The study is published in Global Change Biology in its January 2014 issue.
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\n> Coral reefs provide food and commercial fisheries, protect coastlines from waves, support tourism, and are inextricably interwoven into the cultural foundations for millions of people throughout the tropical oceans. \u00a0Seychelles Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing State Issues, Ronald Jumeau noted that, “It is a common misconception that sea level rise is the greatest threat to small island countries, when in fact the decline of the coral reefs that help feed and protect us and contribute to our wealth and well-being is a more immediate threat to the economic viability and the very physical existence of many of our islands.”
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\n> In the Pacific, island societies already are struggling with effects of global climate change on the habitability of their homelands. \u00a0Coral reef decline will further affect the ability of these nations to navigate a changing future. \u00a0Minister Tony DeBrum of the Republic of the Marshall Islands states, \u201cOur islands and cultures have always been defined by our ability to interact with our marine and terrestrial environment. The impacts of climate change threaten the very existence of our unique identity as people and our sovereignty as a nation – a recognized member of the global community.\u201d
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\n> Deanna Spooner of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative that provided funding for the research said, \u201cThis study makes complex information about climate change impacts on coral reefs available for the first time in an accessible format. \u00a0Now, coral reef managers and other decision makers can see what the future likely holds for their region\u2019s reefs and better communicate about the need for immediate conservation actions.\u201d
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\n> \u201cThis is another important scientific study that demonstrates the peril facing coral reefs today and into the future,\u201d says Dr. Robert Richmond of the University of Hawai\u2019i. \u00a0\u201cThere is a clear urgency in responding to greenhouse gas emissions. \u00a0Unless effective actions are undertaken at the global level, the future of coral reefs and those who depend on these incredible ecosystems is bleak.\u201d \u00a0Coral reef managers attempt to protect reefs and increase their resilience to stress by minimizing human impacts such as overfishing, polluted runoff, and invasive aquatic species. \u00a0Strengthening these efforts through better land-use practices and the use of marine protected areas is also essential, Dr. Richmond stresses, \u201cin order to buy time to address the ever-increasing problems caused by climate change.\u201d
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\n> What the Study Reveals
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\n> Abnormally high ocean temperatures cause corals to \u201cbleach\u201d or lose the symbiotic algae that give them color and provide nutrients (food). \u00a0Prolonged bleaching events can kill corals over large reef areas, and repopulation by corals, fish and other reef species may take a decade or more. \u00a0As global warming proceeds, the temperature stress that causes bleaching is projected to become more severe and recur more often, eventually happening every year. It\u2019s unlikely that most coral reefs can survive annual bleaching events. \u00a0In addition, rising carbon dioxide concentrations will cause increasing ocean acidification, gradually reducing the ability of corals to form the stony skeletons that give reefs structure.
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\n> The study shows that the decade in which these stresses to reefs reach critical levels varies by latitude, and depends on rates of global greenhouse gas emissions. \u00a0Annual bleaching is projected to occur sooner near the equator and later at higher latitudes. However, these high-latitude reefs will have more time to be exposed to ocean acidification. \u00a0The online maps, hosted by NOAA\u2019s Coral Reef Watch, use Google EarthTM and allow users to select emissions scenarios, coral sensitivity levels, and different levels of ocean acidification. \u00a0Users can then see when climate models suggest stressful bleaching events will occur or when various levels of acidification will be reached.
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\n> This work was supported by the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with additional support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.
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\n> The Google Earth tool can be accessed at this link:
\n> http:\/\/coralreefwatch.noaa.
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\n> High resolution images can be accessed at this link:
\n> http:\/\/piccc.net\/coral-media-
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\n> Full citation for the Global Change Biology article: \u00a0van Hooidonk, R., Maynard, J. A., Manzello, D. and Planes, S. (2014). \u00a0Opposite latitudinal gradients in projected ocean acidification and bleaching impacts on coral reefs. \u00a0Global Change Biology 20: 103\u2013112. doi: 10.1111\/gcb.12394
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\n> \u00a0The Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative (PICCC) is a self-directed, non-regulatory conservation alliance whose purpose is to assist those who manage native species, island ecosystems and key cultural resources in adapting their management to climate change for the continuing benefit of the people of the Pacific Islands \u2013 http:\/\/piccc.net<\/a>
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\nC. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
\nCoordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
\nNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
\nCenter for Satellite Applications and Research
\nSatellite Oceanography & Climate Division
\ne-mail: mark.eakin@noaa.gov<\/a>
\nurl: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov<\/a>NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP)
\n5830 University Research Ct., E\/RA32
\nCollege Park, MD 20740
\nOffice: (301) 683-3320<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 Fax: (301) 683-3301<\/a>
\nMobile: (301) 502-8608<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0SOCD Office: (301) 683-3300<\/a><\/p>\n
\nDr. Jane Lubchenco, March 25 2010<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"