Australia - Keppel Island Coral Reefs 100% Dead - Even Anemones Bleached

[hatrack]

HARD coral on a large network of shallow reefs near Keppel Island have been completely killed off, Central Queensland University researchers confirmed yesterday. Marine biologist Alison Jones said that instead of monitoring this year's coral spawning event she had witnessed widespread coral bleaching.

"(It) resulted in 100 per cent mortality of all hard coral species on the reef flats at Middle, Shelving, Monkey, Miall and Halfway reefs," she said. "Even anemones were bleached white. "We think that this may have been caused by a coincidental heavy downpour and extreme low tide just after midnight on Friday, November 3. "Following a summer bleaching in January and February, this is devastating for the Keppel region particularly because of the timing just before what would have been the mass spawning event," she said. "The deeper corals were untouched and sections of reef that had good current movement survived because the fresh water would have been quickly mixed with seawater."

CQU chemical and biomedical sciences chief Graeme Pegg described the downpour preceded by last summer's coral bleaching as "a double whammy". "It's a fairly calamitous event. These reefs copped a fair hiding. They are definitely compromised," he said.

Dr Pegg, with molecular geneticists Billy Sinclair and Bill Astden, have just received funding to find out how reef bleachings affect the biodiversity of fish species. Ms Jones said: "In light of the considerable threat of climate change causing annual bleaching events within the next 30 to 50 years, (according to 1999 studies by Hoegh-Guldberg), this study could influence DPI fisheries regulations, marine park management and may lead to the instigation of a Special Management area for the Keppel region."

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20760996-5006786,00.html

[donsu]

1. hoping someone will make a memorial pictorial of it when it was in

full health. so our children can see what they are missing. (in case there are still some future children in this dying world)

grieving

[kestrel91316]

2. Oh, good. Now all we need is an army of divers with scrub brushes to

make sure it stays NICE AND CLEAN down there.

Coral and anemones are just so ICKY.

Oh, and treat that water with bleach a little more often, too, Aussies. Ya got things SWIMMIN' in it!!