Coral reef research highlights big drop in growth rates

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Caribbean corals struggling to produce enough calcium carbonate to survice

A coral reef at the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy Jim Maragos/USFWS.

A coral reef at the Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy Jim Maragos/USFWS.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Many coral reefs in the Caribbean are struggling to keep pace with erosion, as their ability to produce and accumulate calcium carbonate declines in the face of human-caused impacts, researchers from the University of Exeter reported this week. That inability to grow raises serious questions about whether the reefs will be able to adapt to rising sea levels, the researchers reported.

Coral reefs are important ocean biodiversity hotspots and serve as nurseries for a profusion of marine life. In a sweeping decision several weeks ago, federal biologists said at least 66 species of coral in the Caribbean and Pacific are in danger of going extinct because of threats linked to global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

Coral cover on reefs in the Caribbean has declined by an average of 80 percent since the 1970s, driven mainly by human disturbance, disease and rising sea temperatures, and are only expected to intensify as a result of future climate change. (more…)

Filed under: air quality, biodiversity, climate and weather, coral reefs, global warming, greenhouse gases, Marine biology, ocean conservation | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Puerto Rico manatees threatened by lack of genetic diversity

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Manatees at risk in Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy NOAA.

USGS research shows isolated population

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Puerto Rico’s manatees could be threatened by extinction because they are relatively isolated genetically, with no cross-breeding between the Puerto Rico population  and those in Florida.

The findings, which come from a study of West Indian manatees by the U.S. Geological Survey and Puerto Rico Manatee Conservation Center, could help resource managers make decisions about how to conserve the endangered marine mammal. (more…)

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Tropical Storm Sandy forms, likely to hit Jamaica

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Slow-moving storm headed for Cuba, Bahamas

Tropical Storm Sandy is quickly gathering strength in the southwestern Caribbean and could rake much of Jamaica with 70 mph winds.

Tropical Storm Sandy gathers strength over the Caribbean.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Tropical Storm Sandy, the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is generating winds of 40 mph and gaining strength over the warm waters of the Caribbean, south of Cuba. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Jamaica and Haiti, where five to 10, and up to 16 inches of rain may fall, leading to dangerous flash flooding.

The storm is expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it approaches the south coast of Jamaica Wednesday, with sustained winds of 80 mph. For now, Tropical storm-force winds extend out about 70 miles from the center of the storm.

Once the storm tracks across Jamaica and Cuba the forecast models diverge, with some forecasts turning the storm out to sea, while others bring the system closer to the U.S. East Coast.

The storm is expected to intensify the next couple of days, then weaken as it interacts with the mountainous terrain of the islands, and starts to encounter southwest wind shear, but could still be packing winds of 65 mph as it nears the Bahamas later in the week.

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Biodiversity: Pacific coral reefs found to be more resilient than their seaweed-afflicted counterparts in the Caribbean

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A NASA satellite images shows dust streaking off the Sahara and across the Atlantic. The dust may be a factor in Caribbean coral reef decline.

Saharan dust storms may be a factor in Caribbean reef health

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Coral reefs in the Caribbean have declined much faster than their counterparts in the Indo-Pacific region, and scientists know think they know at least part of the reason — seaweed.

Seaweed grows much more prolifically in the Caribbean, possibly because of the iron-rich dusts that blow off the Sahara and are carried across the Atlantic by the Trade Winds.

Along with fending off the stresses of global warming, pollution and overfishing, the Caribbean reefs have to deal with more of the aquatic vegetation.

As a result, coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Great Barrier Reef, recover faster from major stresses than their Caribbean counterparts. (more…)

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Immediate action needed to preserve coral reefs

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

NOAA is able to detect coral reef bleaching with high resolution satellite images.

International reef symposium in Australia highlights latest research

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — It’s not easy these days being an optimist if you’re a coral reef researcher. Most recent studies suggest that ever-warmer and increasingly acidified oceans represent a death-spiral for many beloved reef ecosystems, with significant signs of decline already observed in the Caribbean and other ocean regions.

But some of the world’s leading marine scientists, gathered in Cairns, Australia for a quadrennial international reef symposium think there’s a good chance to preserve at least some important reefs — if we act now.

That could be critical not just for the reef ecosystems themselves, but for the 81 nations and 500 million people who depend on them.

“I’m an optimist – you have to be, to devote your life to this field,” said Dr. John Pandolfi, with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and University of Queensland. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, coral reefs, global warming, Marine biology, ocean conservation | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

New Caribbean species named after Bob Marley

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Tiny parasites may transmit diseases that affect the overall health of coral reef ecosystems.

Scientists explore the role of fish parasites in coral reef ecosystem health

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A marine researcher exploring links between coral reef health, fish and tiny parasitic crustaceans recently described a new species that might help answer some of the questions.

And showing that scientists can have a sense of humor and style, he named the new species after the late reggae musician Bob Marley.

The small blood feeder — the ocean equivalent of a tick — infests certain fish living in coral reefs of the shallow eastern Caribbean. Paul Sikkel, an assistant professor of marine ecology and a field marine biologist at Arkansas State University, named the species Gnathia marleyi. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, coral reefs, Environment | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Oceans

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

From sea to shining sea …

Teaching my son to swim at the Silverthorne Rec Center here in landlocked Colorado paid off when we visited Jamaica, where he swam with confidence in the surf at the edge of the sea.

SUMMIT COUNTY — I live in a place that’s about as landlocked as you can get, at least 1,000 miles from an ocean in any direction, yet I’m drawn to the seaside and visit every chance I get. There’s something incredibly meditative about sitting on a beach and watching waves roll in and crash ashore, and hardly anything is as invigorating as an ocean swim. I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t live in the mountains close to good skiing, I’d live by an ocean, but in the meantime, I can always visit and revisit some of my favorite spots vicariously, through the many photos I’ve taken. And in honor of World Oceans Day and National Oceans Week here in the U.S. the #FriFotos twitter chat this week is all about oceans — here’s my take.

(more…)

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Coral reefs in Caribbean damaged by development and deforestation long before feeling heat of global warming

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Coral reefs in the Caribbean were hit hard by runoff from land areas long before they started feeling the impacts of climate change.

Scientists say controlling local stressors is critical to preserving reef ecosystems

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Coral reefs in the Caribbean have been hit hard by increasing ocean temperatures, but new research shows that a long-term decline in coral health began well before the ocean warming trend.

Scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego recently excavated coral reefs on the Caribbean side of Panama, determining that damage from land clearing and overfishing pre-dates damage caused by human-caused climate change by at least decades.

“This study is the first to quantitatively show that the cumulative effects of deforestation and possibly overfishing were degrading Caribbean coral and molluscan communities long before climate change impacts began to really devastate reefs,” said lead author and Scripps alumna Katie Cramer, currently based at the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network at the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, coral reefs, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Caribbean yields deepest-ever ‘black smoker’ vents

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Hydrothermal 'black smoker' vents near the Cayman Islands may offer new clues to the dispersal of deep sea organisms. PHOTO COURTESY NOAA.

Research offers new clues to sea-floor formation, dispersal of deep-ocean organisms

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — British oceanographers and biologists say a group of volcanic vents on the Caribbean seafloor are the deepest discovered to-date, and another field of vents on a nearby submerged mountain suggests that so-called black smoker hydrothermal vents may be much more common than previously believed.

The vents — about three miles deep in a rift in the Cayman Trough, south of the Cayman Islands — may be hotter than 450 °C and are shooting a jet of mineral-laden water more than a kilometre into the ocean above.Despite extreme conditions, the vents are teeming with a new species of shrimp that has a light-sensing organ on its back.

Results of the 2010 expedition were reported this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The deep-sea research was led by marine geochemist Doug Connelly at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and marine biologist Jon Copley of the University of Southampton. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Environment, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Jamaica …

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Respect, mon!

Local fishermen maneuver their kayak with branches as makeshift paddles at Half Moon Bay Beach on Jamaica's west end. The tiny beachside snackbar at Half Moon Bay beach has the best blackened grouper sandwiches -- ever!

SUMMIT COUNTY — A few magical scenes from the west end of Jamaica, around Negril. Even though the resort town has a reputation for hedonism, my son and I enjoyed quiet times at the family oriented Negril Yoga Center, and exploring the limestone cliffs of the nearby West End. All photos by Bob Berwyn. (more…)

Filed under: Morning photo, photography, Travel | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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