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Gazette Day reports:
In the year 2016, there was a heatwave that affected many parts of the world. The extreme temperatures were especially felt in and around the continent of Australia. As a result of the heatwave, the waters around the Great Barrier Reef warmed considerably. Scientists were worried that with the oceans already warming due to global climate change, the additional heat stress might cause considerable damage to the Great Barrier Reef.
After the heatwave subsided, a team of scientists conducted tests to find out how the heatwave damaged the reef. Extensive aerial surveys were conducted. These surveys concluded that a great deal of the reef had bleaching that had killed off many parts of the reef. [...] The surveys found that 90 percent of the corals in the reef suffered at least some type of bleaching. The worst damage was on the northernmost third of the reef. In this section, much of the damage was caused by the initial rise in temperature.
The other damage occurred later. The coral reefs depend on a symbiotic relationship with a certain type of algae. Over the course of a few months after the heating event, the algae separated from the reef causing additional reef death.
During the heating event in 2016, one-third of the coral reefs in the world were bleached and damaged in some way. The reefs do have the ability to come back from this [heat-induced damage] as long as the damaging events are not too frequent.
Global warming transforms coral reef assemblages (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0041-2) (DX)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 25 2018, @10:28PM (6 children)
I figured you'd read it, you just put the crazy linguistic virus idea up a few notches.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday April 25 2018, @11:26PM (5 children)
If you haven't, you've got no ground to stand on criticizing the content. I have, thus I can criticize and know what the fuck I'm talking about.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 26 2018, @03:14AM (4 children)
Well the whole thing was a joke, linguistic virus? Cmon bud
(Score: 5, Informative) by Pav on Thursday April 26 2018, @07:05AM (3 children)
A few years ago I happened to work at James Cook University, one of the world leaders in tropical marine science (and most probably the home of the scientists mentioned in this story). I've spoken at length to academics about exactly this topic.
Coral is a symbiotic organism consisting of a coral polyp and a certain type of algae called zooxanthellae. The polyp provides a home for the algae, and the algae produces carbohydrate for the polyp. Under stress (either caused by heat, or on inshore reefs during low salinity due to relatively rare flood events) the algae loses the ability of photosyntesis and produces harmful waste products which poison the host polyp. In this scenario the polyp ejects most of the algae which causes the coral to lose its colour ie. bleach - this happens over such vast distances it can be monitored from the air. This doesn't mean the coral is dead - if conditions normalise quickly then the coral can rebuild its zooxanthellae population before it starves. Coral starvation depends on a number of factors eg. how "fat" the polyps are, and if there's plankton around. Coral reefs are underwater deserts which is why visibility is usually so excellent, but during rare plankton blooms bleached polyps can survive much longer by consuming plankton.
Although certain strains of zooxanthellae are more tolerant of heat than others they usually only differ in their tolerance by a few tenths of a degree C, so by monitoring water temperature, salinity and coral colour it's very easy to pinpoint the cause of a bleaching event. If temperatures remain high for long corals WILL die unless there's a plankton bloom or the polyps are in very good condition initially - a series of short high temperature events stress the corals and make permanent bleaching more likely in the longer run.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday April 26 2018, @11:06AM (2 children)
Thank you. See, folks, that's what was needed.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 27 2018, @02:56AM (1 child)
lol, if only every journalist was an expert in every field! If only the researchers decided that a summary needed in-depth explanations for the less important details. I mean why not rewrite every textbook for every article? We wouldn't want special snowflakes to actually do any research for their own questions.
I guess this is the best we can expect from you, having pretty much everyone yell at your for your ridiculous statements until someone finally gives you enough detail that you can pretend that's all you were looking for! You are one of the most intellectually insecure and dishonest people around this site.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday April 27 2018, @09:57AM
There's this thing called Google, maybe you've heard of it.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.