RIP Great Barrier Reef :(

[marlin_dory]

This absolutely sickens me that something that has lived for millions of years dies because of human hands. If any of you have pictures of the reef from a visit please post them so that the many that have not seen it can embellish in its beauty.

 

[mcgyvr]

Did someone just watch a documentary?

Sickens me that millions of lives have been taken in the name of religion..

 

[Bent]

Meh,

It'll be back. Don't buy into alarmism.

Edit:
Millions of lives have been taken for many reasons, not just religion. Humans are disgusting creatures.

 

[Pinkskunk]

mcgyvr, the GBR is dying and i am afraid there is no tomrorow for this precious reef that we have. nature and animals are helpless against the destruction by human

as for people killing each other, the human race deserve every bit of it, they did it to themselves.

 

[JWClark]

I'm still bummed that we no longer have 2 ft wide dragonflies because the dinosaurs sucked up all O2, reducing global atmospheric concentrations to the current 20% or so.

Kidding, dinosaurs were never able to prove conclusively that they were the cause of global de-oxygenation.

 

[ssick92]

I would definitely like to visit before the rest of it bleaches out...

Although I would like to think everything goes in cycles and right now portions of the GBR are just at the bottom of their cycle -- hopefully to be returning to a beautiful reef sooner rather than later.

 

[sde1500]

I agree, it is unfortunate to be going through such a bad bleaching event. But can't help but think, these reefs have been around forever. I mean, they survived mass extinctions, I imagine they will survive this. Some parts of nature are just crazy resilient.

 

[saf1]

A lot of alarmism in the post and out of ignorance. Do some more reading but use your favorite search engine for "Huge Reef Discovered Hiding Behind Great Barrier Reef" this time.

No doubt people impact the earth on several fronts. All of us owning an aquarium in this hobby are not helping. If you struggle with it, find the right charity or cause to support, give them some money and contributions, and tear down your tank. If you can find captive bred fish and propagated corals instead of taking from mother nature, then keep it.

My point is yes, GBR is going through a rough time. Similar to others. On the other hand look what was just found a month or so back. Not all doom and gloom is it? Let me repeat. "Just Found"

Be smart, do your part, everything will work itself out.

 

[jmm]

According to Wikipedia:

The CRC Reef Research Centre estimates the age of the present, living reef structure at 6,000 to 8,000 years old.

The corals, successfully starting and enduring the radical climate changes of the past, including many changes in sea level and temperature, have endured by moving or acclimating.

Pesticide runoff from farming, heavy metal pollution from mining, the Crown of Thorns starfish and a new, persistent bacterial infection are the biggest threats today.

 

[BrianD]

Please keep the discussion free of religious or political commentary.

 

[Squidmotron]

Is it political for me to point out the claim is absolute b.s.?

 

[JWClark]

Is it political for me to point out the claim is absolute b.s.?

Depends on your leanings.

 

[JWClark]

Seriously though, climates have been changing for 4.5 billion years and life has always adapted. Heck, you can thank the ancestors to Cyanobacteria for the creation of the ozone layer and the oxygen in the atmosphere which, at the time, was toxic to them. Without cyano we would not be here.

Point is, life will endure even if we snuff ourselves out.

 

[d2mini]

Is it political for me to point out the claim is absolute b.s.?

Only if you grab the reef by the... anemone.

 

[CHSUB]

Meh,

It'll be back. Don't buy into alarmism.

Edit:
Millions of lives have been taken for many reasons, not just religion. Humans are disgusting creatures.????

my dog sometimes eats her own poop!!! that's disgusting....

 

[Ghost25]

What an absurd argument that just because something has been around for a long time it can never be destroyed. The same logic could be applied to the California Grizzly, the Dodo bird, the Carrier Pigeon or any number of species that have gone extinct as a direct result of human actions.

If you believe humans are not capable of drastically impacting massive ecosystems that have existed for thousands of years you only need to look at the Amazon rain forest, nearly 20% of which has been deforested for cattle grazing.

 

[saf1]

If you believe humans are not capable of drastically impacting massive ecosystems that have existed for thousands of years you only need to look at the Amazon rain forest, nearly 20% of which has been deforested for cattle grazing.

That is due to population explosion and the need for food. Which, well, is another debate all together. Need food and water, right?

 

[JWClark]

And a blink of an eye, geologically. Every organism impacts the environment around them forcing others to adapt or die. They can often kill themselves off as a result if other checks on populations are not in place. I am not saying that this reef will survive, only that life in the ocean will. In fact, this reef will eventually die. That is a given. The only question is when.

 

[saf1]

And a blink of an eye, geologically. Every organism impacts the environment around them forcing others to adapt or die. They can often kill themselves off as a result if other checks on populations are not in place. I am not saying that this reef will survive, only that life in the ocean will. In fact, this reef will eventually die. That is a given. The only question is when.

Not for a while, this reef anyway. A second one, much larger, is right behind it. September 2016 had many different articles on it. Actually rather impressive to say the least. Only thing that baffles me is why did they just discover it. Not like we haven't been mapping that part of the ocean for years on end now.

 

[ca1ore]

Point is, life will endure even if we snuff ourselves out.

That's exactly right. I've always thought the various 'save the planet' efforts largely miss the point. The planet will be fine; it's about saving US. If through ignorance or indifference we kill ourselves off, nature won't care a whit. She'll just start again, like countless times before.