Coral reefs may be more resilient than scientists previously thought, according to Marine scientist Ray Berkelmans, senior marine research scientist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) who has spent 27 years diving along the Keppels, a group of islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The coral reefs there can be viewed as a microcosm of and perhaps litmus test for the future of the Great Barrier Reef as a whole.
Coral expert Dr Peter Doherty said the huge flood plume was likely to lead to coral bleaching, particularly in vulnerable fringing reefs in a 30km-wide band along the east coast.
Dr Berkelmans’ research on coral bleaching has shown that corals around the Keppel Islands are generally quite resilient due to their unique ability to adapt to changing environments.
The reefs in the Keppels have amongst the highest coral cover anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef. Keppel corals are typically more resilient to temperature changes than corals in other regions.
“The positive side of all this is that we know that these reefs have recovered from a similar event in the past to become some of the most spectacular reefs on the GBR.”
Peter Ridd, a professor of physics at James Cook University, and fellow reef-resiliency optimist agrees, generally pooh-poohing modern science’s version of reef health:
“Ten years ago, I was told that the coral was going to die from sediment, and we have proved that is complete rubbish,” Ridd says.
One of Australia's most remarkable natural gifts, the Great Barrier Reef is blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world's largest coral reef. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the worlds most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space.
References :
http://bluelivingideas.com/2009/12/22/coral-reefs-putting-up-a-good-fight-against-climate-change/
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/
