Reef | Common News Update

Feb192021 by adminNo Comments

Coral reef predators get 70% of their energy from the open ocean

Science

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Food webs anchored by coral reefs extend much farther into open waters than scientists previously thought. According to a new study, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, more than 70% of the caloric energy consumed by reef predators is sourced from the open ocean. Advertisement Open surface waters in the tropics are low in nutrients and typically thought to be relatively unproductive, but the latest research these environments are more ecologically valuable than scientists previously estimated. For the study, scientists used isotopic analysis to examine the diets of four grouper species captured near coral reefs in the Maldives, an island chain a few hundred miles southwest of India. The analysis showed all four predatory fish rely on open ocean resources. S...

Aug272020 by adminNo Comments

Rowley Shoals: The bleached Australian reef and a Covid challenge

Science

Coral bleaching was detected in a usually healthy reef off Australia's north-western coast earlier this year.But due to Covid lockdown rules, the discovery presented scientists with a challenge: how could they survey the reef without being able to travel there?.css-po6dm6-ItalicText{font-style:italic;}Video by Isabelle RoddLet's block ads! (Why?) BBC News - Science & Environment

Jan12020 by adminNo Comments

Palau is first country to ban ‘reef toxic’ sun cream

Science

The Pacific nation of Palau has become the first country to ban sun cream that is harmful to corals and sea life.From Wednesday, sun cream that includes common ingredients, including oxybenzone, is not allowed to be worn or sold in the country.Palau's President Tommy Remengesau said: "We have to live and respect the environment because the environment is the nest of life."The island nation markets itself as a "pristine paradise" for divers.A lagoon in Palau's Rock Islands is a Unesco World Heritage site. The country has a population of around 20,000 dotted across hundreds of islands.The ban - which was announced in 2018 - prohibits sun cream containing any of 10 ingredients. The list includes oxybenzone and octinoxate, which abso...

Sep12019 by adminNo Comments

Outlook for Great Barrier Reef is now ‘very poor’

Science

Aug. 30 (UPI) -- In a report issued Friday, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority downgraded the outlook for Australia's Great Barrier Reef from "poor" to "very poor." Every five years, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority issues a report detailing the Great Barrier Reef's health, major threats and future. Climate change remains the park's gravest threat, which has caused water temperatures to rise, acidity levels to increase and exacerbated the effects of marine heat waves, triggering record-breaking coral bleaching events in recent years. Other threats include coastal development, land-based run-off and direct human use like illegal fishing. The compilation of threats are taking a toll on the health of the reef. "Anyone following the state of the Great Barrier Reef over...

Aug312019 by adminNo Comments

Great Barrier Reef outlook very poor, Australia says

Science

The Great Barrier Reef's outlook has been officially downgraded from poor to very poor due to climate change.Rising sea temperatures thanks to human-driven global warming remain the biggest threat to the reef, a five-year Australian government report says.Actions to save it "have never been more time critical", the report reads. Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles), the reef was designated a World Heritage site in 1981 for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance".But in recent years the reef has been increasingly damaged by warmer seas which have killed off coral and affected its long-term health. Unesco's World Heritage Committee is due to consider adding the reef to its list of sites that are "in danger".The massive ...