"Alarming" Coral Reef Infection in Hawaii

[jg93]

Not sure if this is the right sub-forum or not, but yikes:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hanalei-bay-20121127,0,4893429.story

 

[kallan]

I found it quite disturbing as well, but with so much development, it is to be expected. Air and water pollution is negatively impacting everyone. Global warming is drastically changing our air and ocean temperatures.

I immediately started looking at my sps in my tank and found some white areas that have gotten worse...mainly on the undersides where the light doesn't penetrate. The coral goby and a few of the fish annoy me when they dine upon some of them, too. I think I'll do a water change.

 

[NemosNems]

I wouldn't blame global warming as much, especially since it is mostly just part of the earths normal cycle and not caused by the increased levels of pollution caused by humans.

 

[KafudaFish]

I would blame Snorkel Bob because of all the BS he slings.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

thanks for the link, jg93.

Sounds like a nasty pathogen if it can make fishes and turtles sick, too.

 

[Pittsburgh]

They said it's a cyano. Time to change light bulbs me thinks... oh wait...

 

[fishmanstan]

I wouldn't blame global warming as much, especially since it is mostly just part of the earths normal cycle and not caused by the increased levels of pollution caused by humans.

Where did you get this information?

 

[Gbear]

I know it is naive to say this. But of all the places where we could and should make a stand about allowing no pollutants to directly enter the ecosystem I think this is a good example of were the effort should be made.
If we start losing these sort of reefs the hobby will be all that is left and there will be a massive back lash against that same hobby. Justifiable or not.

I can't quite express how tragic I find this. We all know the world's reefs are in decline for many reasons. But for some reason this hits me harder.

 

[vmjtc3]

I know it is naive to say this. But of all the places where we could and should make a stand about allowing no pollutants to directly enter the ecosystem I think this is a good example of were the effort should be made.
If we start losing these sort of reefs the hobby will be all that is left and there will be a massive back lash against that same hobby. Justifiable or not.

I can't quite express how tragic I find this. We all know the world's reefs are in decline for many reasons. But for some reason this hits me harder.

Agreed, its been a long slow downward spiral, with no end insight. The bad part of it is most of hawaii is on septic systems. There is no way that is good for the reefs when waste from the leech lines ends up in the ocean....

 

[rrasco]

That is pretty scary.

Global warming. LOL. Humans caused the last ice age too, no? /s

 

[Tmoriarty]

Where did you get this information?

History....

This is not the first time the earth has gone through this cycle, some reasearch will lead you to that information.

 

[alton]

After seeing this on our local fish clubs website I searched the web to find more info and found this

http://www.tombarefoot.com/info/Kauai_Beaches_Glass_Beach_Kauai.html

 

[Luiz Rocha]

History....

This is not the first time the earth has gone through this cycle, some reasearch will lead you to that information.

Yes, it is the first time temperature (and CO2) go up at the speed that they are going up now. Historically, change was much slower. Some research will lead you to that information.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page3.php

Slower change (combined with the absence of fishing, pollution, etc) means that organisms can adapt and survive.

Faster change (combined with overfishing, pollution, etc) means that organisms will go extinct.

 

[fishmanstan]

Yes, it is the first time temperature (and CO2) go up at the speed that they are going up now. Historically, change was much slower. Some research will lead you to that information.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page3.php

Slower change (combined with the absence of fishing, pollution, etc) means that organisms can adapt and survive.

Faster change (combined with overfishing, pollution, etc) means that organisms will go extinct.

Cannot agree more.

 

[coralreefdoc]

^ Exactly. The people who think this is just natural change are those same people who ask the rhetorical questions seeking only the answer(s) they wish to hear ...

You think the burning of fossil fuels/CO2 production at these alarming rates isnt causing negative reactions, far above normal atmospheric cycles, within the environment ?!? Come on, wake up. Wake up.

It astounds me how some people can be so bluntly stupid, yet feel so empowered/knowledgable by that same stupidity

 

[jdhuyvetter]

It astounds me how some people can be so bluntly stupid, yet feel so empowered/knowledgable by that same stupidity

Sadly, this applies to both sides of this debate.

 

[Bob B]

I was in Hawaii a few yearsback and there is allot of runoff from the fields planted near the bottom of the mountains and you can see the ocean near there with a thick brown color. The natural plantlife is being cut away for family farming. Unless something can be done te reefs will be no more.

 

[coralreefdoc]

Sadly, this applies to both sides of this debate.

Agreed.

However, if you are insinuating that my prior comment(s) on the subject fall under this notion then you're way off base.

 

[IdahoGuy]

You cannot tell me tue extreme weather changes are natural.. I live in Idaho, a supposedly cold weather state. When I moved here almost 20 years ago we had snow from November through April. Now? It snows maybe 2-3 times a year and it melts off by the end of the day. The local ski resort is almost bankrupt. This year we had the warmest summer in the history of our state. Such a dramatic change in such a short time frame can't be normal.

 

[GaryR1984]

You cannot tell me tue extreme weather changes are natural.. I live in Idaho, a supposedly cold weather state. When I moved here almost 20 years ago we had snow from November through April. Now? It snows maybe 2-3 times a year and it melts off by the end of the day. The local ski resort is almost bankrupt. This year we had the warmest summer in the history of our state. Such a dramatic change in such a short time frame can't be normal.

You can't rule it out either, it's not like we've been keeping temp readings for the past 500 years, or more.