Coral Cultivation Hailed As Success For Thailand

[webfact]

Coral cultivation hailed as success for Thailand
Saowanee Nimpanpayungwong
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Science yesterday hailed Thailand's first success in breeding and releasing warm-water corals, bringing fresh hope in the battle against coral bleaching in Thai seas.

Announcing the news, Department of Marine Science lecturers Associate Professor Dr Wannapop Wiyakarn and Associate Professor Dr Suchana Chavanit said the project had been conducted for the past five years and finally succeeded in releasing warm-water corals into the sea.

Collaborating on the project, which utilised new knowledge to find alternative solutions to coral bleaching that has decimated reefs, are the Plant Genetic Conservation Project, initiated by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Royal Thai Fleet's Naval Special Warfare Command, and Japan's Akajima Marine Science Laboratory.

Corals were taken from Saem San Island in Chon Buri's Sattahip district and bred for two years before being released back into the sea, said Wannapop.

"This research is a first for Thailand, yielding successful reproduction of coral outside its native environment from March 2006, followed by an incubation process and then finally releasing the corals into the sea off the Khao Mha Jor coast in Sattahip. Our January inspection found that the artificially-bred corals are growing well and breeding naturally in sea that is two degrees Celsius warmer than the experimental pond," he added.

This was an alternative way of rehabilitating the coral reef in an area where the natural coral had deteriorated, and would allow nature to heal itself, said Wannapop. He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.


-- The Nation 2013-04-03

[dcutman]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a
strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors
causing reef damage needed to be tackled.
Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Edited April 3, 2013 by dcutman

[DocN]

I see a pattern, now.

We are to blame if corals die, we are to blame for prostitution, we are to blame for loss of moral values and we are to blame, when the local "mom & pop" - shop goes out of business.

Why not simply close the borders and do your own sh1t?

[hellodolly]

Now let me get this rite they have allowed the coral to die off and their solution is to grow it in another area where they can allow it to be killed off the same way it has always been killed.

I think the future for coral regeneration in Thailand lays in Burma where they have not been systematically killing of their coral and are now talking about making it a tourist attraction.

Now as to weather they will protect what they have that is another question.

[AleG]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a

strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors

causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc... There are many causes for the ecological damage, it's not helpful to deny any of them.

Anyway, good to know that they are working and having success in breeding corals, maybe they could do research on heat resistant zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that live within the corals) to help prevent bleaching events from high water temperatures.

[Cardiff1963]

Good news.

Shsme the whingers are knocking it already, wonder if they'll blame the Thais for the bleaching of the GBR and all reefs worldwide. Keep up your whinging there's a nice chair and Leo at 7/11 for you all.

[dcutman]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a

strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors

causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc... There are many causes for the ecological damage, it's not helpful to deny any of them.

Anyway, good to know that they are working and having success in breeding corals, maybe they could do research on heat resistant zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that live within the corals) to help prevent bleaching events from high water temperatures.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc.

You have excellent points. I never really considered, its the tourist that force the government to turn a blind eye when a developer has to rip out mangrove forest to build a resort. And of course the government cannot build waste water treatment plants and proper disposal sites with all those pesky tourist getting in the way. Not to mention, the impossibility to enforce environmental laws because of the need to keep the tourist safe.

[ZhouZhou]

nice work of research. go forward you coral breeding people.

[h90]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a

strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors

causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc... There are many causes for the ecological damage, it's not helpful to deny any of them.

Anyway, good to know that they are working and having success in breeding corals, maybe they could do research on heat resistant zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that live within the corals) to help prevent bleaching events from high water temperatures.

well fishing, if not for feed tourists would be to export fish. I doubt that the tourists cause more fishing. Trampling on corals might be a very minor problem. Untreated sewage....I would say it is because the tourists money is used for corruption instead of waste water management.

Actually the only reason to protect corals in Thailand are that these strange farangs don't come anymore when they are broken and dive shops are the only one that complain all the time about the fishing in protected areas.

[redroo]

copy coral made from plastic will last for thousands of years....

[LuckyLew]

I see a pattern, now.

We are to blame if corals die, we are to blame for prostitution, we are to blame for loss of moral values and we are to blame, when the local "mom & pop" - shop goes out of business.

Why not simply close the borders and do your own sh1t?

Cannot close the borders ... who would they get to support the Thai girls from Isaan

[DocN]

I see a pattern, now.

We are to blame if corals die, we are to blame for prostitution, we are to blame for loss of moral values and we are to blame, when the local "mom & pop" - shop goes out of business.

Why not simply close the borders and do your own sh1t?

Cannot close the borders ... who would they get to support the Thai girls from Isaan

You mean, they are only forced into prostitution (by us) to be saved (by us)?

What a cunningly clever plan!

[paymaster]

Get behind this scheme and we could have a hub of coral regrowth.

[francescoassisi]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

[francescoassisi]

copy coral made from plastic will last for thousands of years....

so will real coral if you treat it right!

[francescoassisi]

I think one or two posters might need to think around the subject of "impact of tourism"

[ZhouZhou]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

[francescoassisi]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a

strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors

causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc... There are many causes for the ecological damage, it's not helpful to deny any of them.

Anyway, good to know that they are working and having success in breeding corals, maybe they could do research on heat resistant zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that live within the corals) to help prevent bleaching events from high water temperatures.

well fishing, if not for feed tourists would be to export fish. I doubt that the tourists cause more fishing. Trampling on corals might be a very minor problem. Untreated sewage....I would say it is because the tourists money is used for corruption instead of waste water management.

Actually the only reason to protect corals in Thailand are that these strange farangs don't come anymore when they are broken and dive shops are the only one that complain all the time about the fishing in protected areas.

"I doubt that the tourists cause more fishing." Pattaya was a fishing village

[hellodolly]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

Wrong but being a Thai government project might lead one to believe it will not happen. Also I believe it has already been developed in other parts of the world. This is just the reinventing of the wheel.

Have you seen there new infrastructure plan for 2.2 trillion baht. All of a sudden it only goes part way to Chiang Mai and they are expecting the private sector to pick up a lot of the cost for the final two segments of the project. And you are willing to swallow any thing they say hook line and sinker.

[DocN]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

Wrong but being a Thai government project might lead one to believe it will not happen. Also I believe it has already been developed in other parts of the world. This is just the reinventing of the wheel.

Have you seen there new infrastructure plan for 2.2 trillion baht. All of a sudden it only goes part way to Chiang Mai and they are expecting the private sector to pick up a lot of the cost for the final two segments of the project. And you are willing to swallow any thing they say hook line and sinker.

Don't answer to the troll!

We all know, that there are hundreds of similar projects around Thailand and most of them are nothing else but giant PR- gag.

Some hotel (that first destroys a part of the environment and later pollutes the beach and the water) collects some sea-turtles (of the same beach, they first destroyed) or sink a car-wreck in the water to serve as a "coral- reef", some minor member of a certain family gives his/her name, everybody rejoices...and just 3 years later, no one gives a hoot anymore.

I personally know 24 of these projects and only 3 made it into something sustainable.

They are much too obsessed with photo- ops and nice words here!

Suay, sanook, sabai...and that is that!

(Yes, I know: there are also many projects in many other countries...blah blah blah...)

[ZhouZhou]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

Wrong but being a Thai government project might lead one to believe it will not happen. Also I believe it has already been developed in other parts of the world. This is just the reinventing of the wheel.

Have you seen there new infrastructure plan for 2.2 trillion baht. All of a sudden it only goes part way to Chiang Mai and they are expecting the private sector to pick up a lot of the cost for the final two segments of the project. And you are willing to swallow any thing they say hook line and sinker.

it is not a government project. the current government has nothing to do with it.

Its a reseach project in it 5th year by the Chulalongkorn University in collaboration with the Plant Genetic Conservation Project, initiated by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Royal Thai Fleet's Naval Special Warfare Command, and Japan's Akajima Marine Science Laboratory.

[francescoassisi]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

I think your perspective is somewhat warped

[francescoassisi]

Sucessfully growing coral is no new thing, but it has to be lauded. It can of course be sold commercially.

However growing coral and just plonking it back in the area it came from without addressing the root causes of its initial destruction seems to be a particularly pointless exercise to me.

I get the impressing that rather than have any real substance, a lot of these type of press releases are largely to generate a "feel-good" image for the rather limited range of Thai conservation efforts

Of course, because it is only Thai and not farang made it must lacking real substance, right?

Wrong but being a Thai government project might lead one to believe it will not happen. Also I believe it has already been developed in other parts of the world. This is just the reinventing of the wheel.

Have you seen there new infrastructure plan for 2.2 trillion baht. All of a sudden it only goes part way to Chiang Mai and they are expecting the private sector to pick up a lot of the cost for the final two segments of the project. And you are willing to swallow any thing they say hook line and sinker.

it is not a government project. the current government has nothing to do with it.

Its a reseach project in it 5th year by the Chulalongkorn University in collaboration with the Plant Genetic Conservation Project, initiated by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Royal Thai Fleet's Naval Special Warfare Command, and Japan's Akajima Marine Science Laboratory.

I think that pretty much puts it under the label "government" then doesn't it?

[hellodolly]

He said it would, however, be many years before this method had a

strong positive impact on rehabilitating reefs, hence other factors

causing reef damage needed to be tackled.

Rising sea temperatures and the impact from tourism are thought to be the two main culprits in destruction of coral.

Here I thought much of this damage was caused from garbage, untreated sewage, and hazardous chemicals being dumped in to the rivers and sea.

Good thing Yingluck has the TAT looking for better quality tourists then. The coral will now flourish.

Tourism is undoubtedly one of the reasons for reef degradation, mangrove forests cut down to make space for resorts lead to the coastal reefs being killed by silt, for example. Untreated sewage from tourist towns, trampling on the corals by clueless tourists, over fishing to feed them, etc, etc... There are many causes for the ecological damage, it's not helpful to deny any of them.

Anyway, good to know that they are working and having success in breeding corals, maybe they could do research on heat resistant zooxanthellae (the symbiotic algae that live within the corals) to help prevent bleaching events from high water temperatures.

well fishing, if not for feed tourists would be to export fish. I doubt that the tourists cause more fishing. Trampling on corals might be a very minor problem. Untreated sewage....I would say it is because the tourists money is used for corruption instead of waste water management.

Actually the only reason to protect corals in Thailand are that these strange farangs don't come anymore when they are broken and dive shops are the only one that complain all the time about the fishing in protected areas.

Seems to me that if tourists had so little to do with it Burma coral would also be in trouble since Tourism is not a big thing there, Yet

[longimanus]

coral degradation is 1) everyones problem and 2) threatened by numerous activities - as suggested here. However the biggest issue for all seas and therefore all life on earth is excessive CO2 emissions where the brunt of the increase in the atmosphere is taken by the ocean as our biggest CO2 sink. The pH of the ocean is usually (or for a long time has been) approximately 8.2 this is increasing and already has to over 8.3, not that large until you realise that pH ( the power of Hydrogen) is a log scale and therefore this .1 increase is already a significant increase in ocean acidity. When excessive CO2 in the oceans exists the calcifying organisms will not be able to produce exoskeletons due to the change of the chemistry in the water, this includes corals and all shellfish etc. If we break our oceans we on land reduce significantly our oxygen production and alter our climate, as well as the more obvious loss of food stocks, potential medical resources etc. Just because CO2 emissions really are the overall worldwide biggest issue that does mean that on a small scale the lesser acts of reef trampling, using hotels that chuck out sewage directly to the sea and making unconscious consumer choices are OK because there are bigger issues caused by others elsewhere. Everyone makes a difference and the ocean is the pit of most of wrongdoings and although recoverable from certain things no-one yet knows what ocean acidification will do other than possibly finish all world reefs in 40 years and whether there will be a recovery through heat resistant species of coral such as those mentioned already that have been found in the Red Sea. One thing is for sure though, even if you have never even seen the sea if it breaks it effects us all.

[francescoassisi]

coral degradation is 1) everyones problem and 2) threatened by numerous activities - as suggested here. However the biggest issue for all seas and therefore all life on earth is excessive CO2 emissions where the brunt of the increase in the atmosphere is taken by the ocean as our biggest CO2 sink. The pH of the ocean is usually (or for a long time has been) approximately 8.2 this is increasing and already has to over 8.3, not that large until you realise that pH ( the power of Hydrogen) is a log scale and therefore this .1 increase is already a significant increase in ocean acidity. When excessive CO2 in the oceans exists the calcifying organisms will not be able to produce exoskeletons due to the change of the chemistry in the water, this includes corals and all shellfish etc. If we break our oceans we on land reduce significantly our oxygen production and alter our climate, as well as the more obvious loss of food stocks, potential medical resources etc. Just because CO2 emissions really are the overall worldwide biggest issue that does mean that on a small scale the lesser acts of reef trampling, using hotels that chuck out sewage directly to the sea and making unconscious consumer choices are OK because there are bigger issues caused by others elsewhere. Everyone makes a difference and the ocean is the pit of most of wrongdoings and although recoverable from certain things no-one yet knows what ocean acidification will do other than possibly finish all world reefs in 40 years and whether there will be a recovery through heat resistant species of coral such as those mentioned already that have been found in the Red Sea. One thing is for sure though, even if you have never even seen the sea if it breaks it effects us all.[/quote

]

Although i agree with you outline that CO2 is the problem i'm not so sure about your science. Surely a rise in Ph means the sea is becoming LESS acidic?

As I understand it the oceans don't have a uniform pH and the more base they become the greater the problems?

I thought is was the decrease in pH that was the problem?

Edited April 5, 2013 by francescoassisi

[francescoassisi]

coral degradation is 1) everyones problem and 2) threatened by numerous activities - as suggested here. However the biggest issue for all seas and therefore all life on earth is excessive CO2 emissions where the brunt of the increase in the atmosphere is taken by the ocean as our biggest CO2 sink. The pH of the ocean is usually (or for a long time has been) approximately 8.2 this is increasing and already has to over 8.3, not that large until you realise that pH ( the power of Hydrogen) is a log scale and therefore this .1 increase is already a significant increase in ocean acidity. When excessive CO2 in the oceans exists the calcifying organisms will not be able to produce exoskeletons due to the change of the chemistry in the water, this includes corals and all shellfish etc. If we break our oceans we on land reduce significantly our oxygen production and alter our climate, as well as the more obvious loss of food stocks, potential medical resources etc. Just because CO2 emissions really are the overall worldwide biggest issue that does mean that on a small scale the lesser acts of reef trampling, using hotels that chuck out sewage directly to the sea and making unconscious consumer choices are OK because there are bigger issues caused by others elsewhere. Everyone makes a difference and the ocean is the pit of most of wrongdoings and although recoverable from certain things no-one yet knows what ocean acidification will do other than possibly finish all world reefs in 40 years and whether there will be a recovery through heat resistant species of coral such as those mentioned already that have been found in the Red Sea. One thing is for sure though, even if you have never even seen the sea if it breaks it effects us all.[/quote

]

Although i agree with you outline that CO2 is the problem i'm not so sure about your science. Surely a rise in Ph means the sea is becoming LESS acidic?

As I understand it the oceans don't have a uniform pH but is it the more base or acidic they become the greater the problems?

[AleG]

coral degradation is 1) everyones problem and 2) threatened by numerous activities - as suggested here. However the biggest issue for all seas and therefore all life on earth is excessive CO2 emissions where the brunt of the increase in the atmosphere is taken by the ocean as our biggest CO2 sink. The pH of the ocean is usually (or for a long time has been) approximately 8.2 this is increasing and already has to over 8.3, not that large until you realise that pH ( the power of Hydrogen) is a log scale and therefore this .1 increase is already a significant increase in ocean acidity. When excessive CO2 in the oceans exists the calcifying organisms will not be able to produce exoskeletons due to the change of the chemistry in the water, this includes corals and all shellfish etc. If we break our oceans we on land reduce significantly our oxygen production and alter our climate, as well as the more obvious loss of food stocks, potential medical resources etc. Just because CO2 emissions really are the overall worldwide biggest issue that does mean that on a small scale the lesser acts of reef trampling, using hotels that chuck out sewage directly to the sea and making unconscious consumer choices are OK because there are bigger issues caused by others elsewhere. Everyone makes a difference and the ocean is the pit of most of wrongdoings and although recoverable from certain things no-one yet knows what ocean acidification will do other than possibly finish all world reefs in 40 years and whether there will be a recovery through heat resistant species of coral such as those mentioned already that have been found in the Red Sea. One thing is for sure though, even if you have never even seen the sea if it breaks it effects us all.[/quote

]

Although i agree with you outline that CO2 is the problem i'm not so sure about your science. Surely a rise in Ph means the sea is becoming LESS acidic?

As I understand it the oceans don't have a uniform pH and the more base they become the greater the problems?

I thought is was the decrease in pH that was the problem?

longimanus has his numbers wrong, the pH is decreasing, thus increasing acidity, all due to higher concentrations of CO2. It's very easy to visualize (or rather, taste) the issue by drinking carbonated water, the dissolved CO2 that makes it fizzle also gives it a slight acid tinge. Good on the table, very bad in the oceans.

[wilcopops]

coral degradation is 1) everyones problem and 2) threatened by numerous activities - as suggested here. However the biggest issue for all seas and therefore all life on earth is excessive CO2 emissions where the brunt of the increase in the atmosphere is taken by the ocean as our biggest CO2 sink. The pH of the ocean is usually (or for a long time has been) approximately 8.2 this is increasing and already has to over 8.3, not that large until you realise that pH ( the power of Hydrogen) is a log scale and therefore this .1 increase is already a significant increase in ocean acidity. When excessive CO2 in the oceans exists the calcifying organisms will not be able to produce exoskeletons due to the change of the chemistry in the water, this includes corals and all shellfish etc. If we break our oceans we on land reduce significantly our oxygen production and alter our climate, as well as the more obvious loss of food stocks, potential medical resources etc. Just because CO2 emissions really are the overall worldwide biggest issue that does mean that on a small scale the lesser acts of reef trampling, using hotels that chuck out sewage directly to the sea and making unconscious consumer choices are OK because there are bigger issues caused by others elsewhere. Everyone makes a difference and the ocean is the pit of most of wrongdoings and although recoverable from certain things no-one yet knows what ocean acidification will do other than possibly finish all world reefs in 40 years and whether there will be a recovery through heat resistant species of coral such as those mentioned already that have been found in the Red Sea. One thing is for sure though, even if you have never even seen the sea if it breaks it effects us all.[/quote

]

Although i agree with you outline that CO2 is the problem i'm not so sure about your science. Surely a rise in Ph means the sea is becoming LESS acidic?

As I understand it the oceans don't have a uniform pH and the more base they become the greater the problems?

I thought is was the decrease in pH that was the problem?

longimanus has his numbers wrong, the pH is decreasing, thus increasing acidity, all due to higher concentrations of CO2. It's very easy to visualize (or rather, taste) the issue by drinking carbonated water, the dissolved CO2 that makes it fizzle also gives it a slight acid tinge. Good on the table, very bad in the oceans.

However the problems he outlines still stand and the causes.

i hear that many of the scuba diving businesses on places like Koh Chang have to take their customers further and further afield to find reasonable dive sites........as the ones near the island are all suffering from the increased run off and changes in water quality/temperature etc caused by tourism.

so I'd say that tourism has a pretty direct even profound effect on coral.

Edited April 5, 2013 by wilcopops

[longimanus]

<deleted> sorry - yes wrong way round. 0.1 drop in pH approximately 30% increase in H+ ions. Science is sound, brain was on that point mixed up as I was talking about increases so wrote it down wrong.