Climate change: Thailand scientists performing 'coral IVF' in attempt to protect reefs

[webfact]

Image:The planet has lost around half of its coral reef cover since the 1950s

 

Siobhan Robbins

SE Asia correspondent 

 

A recent report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network found between 2009 and 2018, reefs equalling about 11,700 square kilometres were killed. That's around 2.5 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park

 

Scientists in Thailand are performing "coral IVF" in an attempt to protect reefs from rising sea temperatures.

 

The planet has lost around half of its coral reef cover since the 1950s. Experts warn that without intervention - climate change, pollution, and human activity, will mean almost all of the remaining coral reefs could disappear in less than 30 years.

 

At Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, marine biologists have been growing coral which is seemingly more resistant to higher sea temperatures.

 

Full story: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-thailand-scientists-performing-coral-ivf-in-attempt-to-protect-reefs-12453950

 

-- © Copyright sky news 2021-11-08

 

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[hotchilli]

Not using them as anchoring points would also go a long way...

Also maybe educating skippers and fishing trawler captains of the damage they cause.

[Gsxrnz]

Ask any greenie or journalist about the Aussie Great Barrier Reef and you'll be told it's virtually destroyed. 

 

In reality the coral cover is at the same level as the mid 1980's after suffering and recovering from a range of natural phenomenon over the decades.  The official government data of their long term monitoring process can be found here https://www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitoring/gbr-condition-summary-2020-2021

 

But I would never suggest that empirical data and observed and measured reality should ever be allowed to trump anybody's imagined reality. 

[DefaultName]

In the Gulf of Thailand, being smothered in silt stirred up by all the traffic kills more than the temperature.

[placeholder]

5 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

Ask any greenie or journalist about the Aussie Great Barrier Reef and you'll be told it's virtually destroyed. 

 

In reality the coral cover is at the same level as the mid 1980's after suffering and recovering from a range of natural phenomenon over the decades.  The official government data of their long term monitoring process can be found here https://www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitoring/gbr-condition-summary-2020-2021

 

But I would never suggest that empirical data and observed and measured reality should ever be allowed to trump anybody's imagined reality. 

I would suggest you read that paper and not just look at the graphs.

 

"While there has been recovery  of hard coral cover, this was driven by Acropora corals which are vulnerable to the common disturbances affecting the GBR"

 

So diversity of species, which is what makes coral reefs so special and valuable, has not recovered much. And as the report pointed out, in 2020 heating wasn't high enough to do much damage. But we know the oceans are getting warmer.

[ourmanflint]

This all because tourists like touching starfish isn't it?