BIODIVERSITY CORAL

 

MONGABAY : MARINE PROTECTED HABITATS ALLOW BIODIVERSITY and WILDLIFE TO FLOURISH

MONGABAY COM 

Excerpt:   A growing body of research demonstrates that MPAs – and fully protected no-take zones in particular – can have real impacts in conserving biodiversity and enabling wildlife to live and flourish. In California, researchers have found clear evidence that California’s investment in MPAs is already making a difference. Environment California Research & Policy Center and Azul’s recent report “Changing the Tides: How Marine Protections Cultivate Ocean Life,”  has highlighted examples of marine ecosystem recovery in five of California’s most iconic MPAs.

The Point Lobos State Marine Reserve, in particular, provides a compelling success story of California’s ocean conservation efforts. Located off the coast of Monterey County, countless generations of sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals have long flocked to Point Lobos’ rocky shoreline. More than 300 species of birds thrive above the cold water corals that populate its rocky reefs. Beneath the water, vast eelgrass beds and kelp forests house abundant fish species, including California halibut and rainbow sea perch, and Dungeness crabs and brittle sea stars on the sandy seafloor.

SEA SNAKES OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF : JONATHAN BIRD'S BLUE WORLD

Sea Snakes venom is potent, stronger than land snake venom.  62 species of sea snakes live in the Pacific in warm water.  They are almost no threat to people.  They use the venom to stun their prey.

WAIKIKI AQUARIUM ! GIANT CLAMS CORAL FARMS : OCEAN AQUACULTURE THE PACIFIC SIX FINGERED THREAD FIN

WAIKIKI AQUARIUM ORG : EXPERIENCE

In all the years that I've been blogging I have never heard the term OCEAN AQUACULTURE!

Check out the exhibit for the PACIFIC SIX FINGERED THREAD FIN. (Locally called Moi which was once bread exclusively for Hawaiian Royalty.)

CORAL WORLD AQUARIUM in ISRAEL : WHAT"S UNDERWATER IN THE RED SEA? SAVE THE RED SEA and the CORALS

CORAL WORLD AQUARIUM - EILAT ISRAEL 

Excerpt:

We are dedicated to inspiring a true connection with nature, and to shed light on contemporary environmental issues in the sea, from overfishing to coral reef damage, in order to promote sustainability.

We put the welfare of the animals as our priority and the Park’s professional scientific team is engaged in constant research.

We have breeding programs of marine life, such as coral propagation which reduces the stress involved when sourcing organisms from the sea. We also rehabilitate and assist in encouraging reproduction of other marine animals such as turtles, seahorses, butterfly fish and anemones.

RED CORAL UP CLOSE

 

BEAUTIFUL TO SEE

 

RED CORAL ON THE SEABED ROCK

 

PACIFIC CORAL REEFS from the UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

USGS - COASTAL CORAL REEFS 

Excerpts;

Coral reefs are unique ecosystems of plants, animals, and their associated geological framework.  Although they cover less that 0.5 of Earth's surface, coral reefs are home to an estimated 25% of all marine species.  Of the total coral reef habitat in the United States waters, about 75% or more than 16,000 square kilometers (6,000 square miles) is located in the Pacific Ocean.

***

This site has hard science and wonderful photos of coral reef ecosystems...  See what healthy coral looks like!

FLORIDA CORAL RESCUE PROJECT ! SPECIES DIED OFF? STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - FLORIDA CORAL RESUE 

An unprecedented coral disease event has ravaged Florida's reefs since 2014, causing mortalityin more than 20 Caribbean coral species.  The disease, known as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) began near Miami, Florida, and has since spread through the northern extent of Florida's Coral Reef in Martin County, sound through the Florida Keys, west into the Marguesas, and is currently just inside the boundary of the Dry Tortugas National Park.....

YOU MAY NEED TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN TO SEE THE BEST AQUARIUM IN THE WORLD

On the top of lists is the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

Their tanks are large enough to house a Whale Shark and the have a Coral breeding program.

The web site is in Japanese and in English:  CHURAUMIT - OKINAWA AQUARIUM

GREAT BARRIER REEF SEA CUCUMBERS

 

GLOBAL CORAL REEF ALLIANCE

GLOBAL CORAL REEF ALLIANCE 

GCRA is a worldwide coalition of volunteer scientists, divers, environmentalists and other individuals and organizations, committed to coral reef preservation.  We primarily focus on coral reef restoration, and cuttings edge research on impacts of coral bleaching, global warming, marine diseases, global sea level rise, and pollution on corals.

EXTREME CONTROVERSY! WILL DUMPING ROCK INTO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF CHANGE THE ACIDIFICATION KILLING CORALS?

MOTHER JONES ENVIRONMENT - GEOENGINEERING TRICK SAVE REEF?   by Graham Readfearn

Will dumping rock or nanocrystals of salt do the trick?  Corals cannot build skeletons when the ocean waters are so acidic?  In this article the possible positives are discussed as well as a significant negative... it would have to be done every three months - forever?

GREAT BARRIER REEF WORLD HERITAGE SITE - UNESCO

WORLD HERITAGE UNESCO GREAT BARRIER REEF 

EXCERPT: With the GBR there are some 2.500 individual reefs of varying sizes and shapes, and over 900 islands, ranging from small sandy cays and larger vegetated cays, to large rugged continental islands rising, in one instance, over 1,1000 meters above sea level. Collectively these landscapes and seascapes provide some of the most spectacular maritime scenery in the world.  ... There are over 1,500 species of fish, about 400 species of coral. 4,000 species of mollusk, and some 240 species of birds, plus a great diversity of sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans, and other species.

GREAT BARRIER REEF ORG : DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE SIX INHABITABLE 9 i.e. RESORT) ISLANDS AS PART OF THE REEF SYSTEM?

GREAT BARRIER REEF ORG 

OK this site is a bit tourist oriented but I was fascinated to know that there are over 100 islands that are part of the reef system and that six of them are vacation destinations. Some of these are remote and accommodate only a few guests at a time willing to live in more island rustic conditions.  Who goes there and why?

Scuba Divers for one. Snorkelers for two.

Here's an excerpt:  Heron Island is a World Heritage-Listed marine National Park, all flora and fauna is protected, so the island is a nature lover's paradise with the emphasis on enjoying natural beauty.  A vacation here replaces stress with a sense of adventure and your days are filled with discovery.

CELEBRATE EARTH WEEK AT THE SEYMOUR MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER at UCSC

SEYMOUR MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER UC SANTA CRUZ 

Open and a virtual  DEEP SEA CORAL EXHIBIT

GREAT BARRIER REEF

FAST OCEAN WARMING EFFECTS FISH PROTEIN FOOD SOURCE

NY TIMES : OCEAN WARMING FASTER THAN

EXCERPT: People in the tropics, who rely heavily on fish for protein, could be hard hit, said Kathryn Matthews, deputy chief scientist for the conservation group Oceana. “The actual ability of the warm oceans to produce food is much lower, so that means they’re going to be more quickly approaching food insecurity,” she said. 

Because they play such a critical role in global warming, oceans are one of the most important areas of research for climate scientists. Average ocean temperatures are also a consistent way to track the effects of greenhouse gas emissions because they are not influenced much by short-term weather patterns, Mr. Hausfather said.

CORAL TRIANGLE BIDIVERSITY THE MOST AMAZING ON EARTH - 75% KNOWN SPECIES

THE CORAL TRIANGLE MOST IMPORTANT : NHM

The Coral Triangle is a part of ocean spanning six million square kilometres, over Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

Although it's far less well-known than other places with abundant corals, like the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Triangle is home to 30% of the world's reefs. In fact, when it comes to biodiversity, it is like nowhere else on Earth. More than 75% of the known coral species live there, as well as 37% of the world's coral reef fish.

It is home to six of the world's seven species of marine turtle, as well as blue whales, sperm whales, dolphins and dugongs.