The Reef Ain't Dead

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Blue Heeler

I tell you what I’ll reword it just for you so we can get back to the crux of what I said. I’m still not buying it!

So one guy and his fellow scientists are funded by government grants and work to protect and preserve one of the worlds greatest natural wonders and the other guy is heavily relying on coal industry funding to carry out “research” to allow marine activity around the loading facilities.........sorry but I’m just not buying your argument.

There is money and agenda on both sides. Lots of money in solar panels and other alternatives power sources...if they can kill coal, their backers stand to make a lot of money.

So not buying that they "work to protect and preserve".

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

There is money and agenda on both sides. Lots of money in solar panels and other alternatives power sources...if they can kill coal, their backers stand to make a lot of money.

So not buying that they "work to protect and preserve".

What's "the agenda" of those advocating for better treatment of the GBR? Or those advocating for more serious consideration of climate change? Or against single-use plastics? Etc? Help us recognize the beast in our midst.

[RaymondR]

AND THE CYNICAL OLD ROUGHNECK RESPONDS

I keep hearing that educational services is one of our biggest exports so we now have educational institutions with administrations whose executives garner million dollar a year salary packages. One of the metric used to define the worth of these institutions is the number of papers originating from the subject institution. You don't need a conspiracy, self interest will do the job for you but you do need to suppress any contrarians to keep getting away with it and avoid unwanted attention.

The fools tried to suppress Ridd with threats which is generally the worst way to do it with folks like Ridd who tend to fight for principals. The better way is usually to promote the trouble maker to draw him towards the inner circle (With a really stubborn donkey the carrot sometime works better than the stick)

Unfortunately the big pay check often leads to "master of the universe" syndrome and the Ridd fiasco, all it's bad publicity, and the cannonization of the intended victim resulted. Good grief, if this thing gets to the High Court of Australia and they find for free speech no one knows how it will eventually turn out. Some damned bout of idealism on the part of the government might even result in nuisance legislation for god's sake, what were they thinking of.

As Ned said "such is life".

[Reefmagnet]

Myth-busting coral bleaching

True or false?

The Great Barrier Reef is dead
False. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of some 3000 reefs, spread over 14 degrees of latitude. The area is bigger than the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Holland combined. Reports which focus on “how much of the Reef has died” imply finality. For coral reefs this is not generally the case because a reef is an ecosystem, not an individual living thing. Reefs can be severely affected but begin to recover as coral communities re-grow and new coral larvae settle on the reef if environmental conditions are stable.

GBRMPA - Coral bleaching 101

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

AND THE CYNICAL OLD ROUGHNECK RESPONDS...

...and I appreciate that you did.

I have no reason to doubt that Ridd is competent in his field.

Is it not possible that:

1. Ridd has made some valid points, and is competent, but he's also been a a bit of a d1ck as an employee?
2. His employer is also imperfect, but at the end of the day there was enough valid reason to terminate employment?

This whole business of "they terminated Ridd therefore they're suppressing truth, therefore the reef is just fine" is kind of overblown. I mean, even Ridd acknowledges the reef damage caused by runoff and other human factors.

Reefie - who is actually claiming that the reef is dead?

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

...

Reefie - who is actually claiming that the reef is dead?

Ummm, everyone arguing against the title of this thead?

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Ummm, everyone arguing against the title of this thead?

... ummm, not true?

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

... ummm, not true?

So what's the argument going on here?

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

So what's the argument going on here?

The OP alleges that someone has said that. Dunno who, though.

[RaymondR]

There is a theory that rather than an increase in water temperature causing the bleaching it is low surface temperatures and a consequent decrease in atmospheric water vapour that is causing the little creatures which form and inhabit the near surface coral to leave home.

The theory is that water vapour in the atmosphere tends to filter out and decrease solar radiation and that the poor little beggars are fleeing sun stroke. Could be something in it, we have not had a lot of tropical revolving storms, which are driven by high sea surface temperatures, forming in the Corral Sea during the last few years.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

There is a theory that rather than an increase in water temperature causing the bleaching it is low surface temperatures and a consequent decrease in atmospheric water vapour that is causing the little creatures which form and inhabit the near surface coral to leave home.

The theory is that water vapour in the atmosphere tends to filter out and decrease solar radiation and that the poor little beggars are fleeing sun stroke. Could be something in it, we have not had a lot of tropical revolving storms, which are driven by high sea surface temperatures, forming in the Corral Sea during the last few years.

Really?

https://youtu.be/xvbV9llG5L8

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by jackdale

Really?

https://youtu.be/xvbV9llG5L8

Gee, that's incredible the temperature goes up in the summer and down in the winter, that must be why the cyclone season is during the summer.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

The OP alleges that someone has said that. Dunno who, though.

Try this for starters. I'm sure you can find others if you look.

https://factcheck.afp.com/great-barr...september-2019
"Multiple Sinhala-language Facebook and Twitter posts published in September 2019 have shared an image of a diver swimming above bleached coral alongside claims that the Great Barrier Reef was “officially announced dead today” by scientists"

https://www.zegrahm.com/blog/great-b...est-time-visit
In October of 2016, Outside magazine published a cheeky, hyperbolic piece in which it declared the Great Barrier Reef dead. The cause of death was listed as coral bleaching, which happens when warming oceans cause corals to expel their algae, preventing them from getting the nutrients necessary to survive.
Outlets all around the world picked up the story as undisputed fact, running sensationalistic clickbait headlines such as “Great Barrier Reef Dead at 25 Million” ...

And here's that article:https://www.outsideonline.com/211208...illion-bc-2016


You will also find lots of sites de-bunking the myth. If it wasn't widespread, there would be no need for such statements as:

"Statement from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on the true state of The Reef"Dr Russell Reichelt, the Chairman and CEO of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, has hit out at recent claims in the media that the Great Barrier Reef is dead."

[RaymondR]

I'm old enough to have been around when a number of other "discoveries" about aquatic affairs in the north occurred. The first was the box jellyfish when a series of mysterious deaths occurred involving swimmers. Perfectly healthy people swimming in the sea in northern Queensland would start screaming and be carried to shore dead. All sorts of headlines, usually commencing "Mystery Killer" resulted for a couple of years until it was found that the box jellyfish was the culprit. People were aware that there were numerous stinging jellyfish but found it hard to believe one could so rapidly kill.

Then the crown of thorns thing. When it was discovered the headlines were "Starfish Devours Reef" and it was projected that the crown of thorns starfish would eat up the entire reef within 10 years.

This catastrophism stuff happens in the media all the time, I'm expecting to see the "California to Slide into Pacific Ocean" headline appear again any day now.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by GoneDiving

Sort of....

Keep in mind that access to the majority of the reef is very highly controlled so the areas that are open to visitors are very small and see normally see thousands of swimmers/divers per day. These are the areas that are devastated and give the general population a skewed view of the condition of the reef

The 0.001% of visitors with access to their own boat can easily see truly beautiful areas.

The opposite of what you said is the truth:


"
Most reefs used for tourism aren’t severely affected
True. Most recognised tourism areas had no, negligible or moderate bleaching. High Standard Tourism operations contribute regularly into the Eye on the Reef system that provides the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority with excellent real-time awareness of Reef health at high value tourism sites."


Nothing can be done to stop bleaching, and the Reef doesn’t need any help, it’s adapted successfully for thousands of years without interference
False. This mass bleaching reaffirms that climate change remains the single greatest challenge to the Reef and the strongest possible global efforts to reduce emissions are essential, along with local actions in the Marine Park and its catchment. Everyone everywhere can do their bit to protect the Great Barrier Reef for future generations to enjoy.
"



This means cruisers no longer can use diesel/gas engines anymore anywhere or they are committing a crime against future generations. Especially true because they are not even needed and never were.


So I'm watching criminals polluting, as well as actual sailors sailing pass by every day both going the same speed in the same direction. This is so simple even a child can understand who is good and who is being bad.