Healthy coral reef today. (Credit: © vlad61_61 / Fotolia)
Posted on 09/02/2013 8:55:33 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Climate change drove coral reefs to a total ecosystem collapse lasting thousands of years, according to a paper published this week in Science. The paper shows how natural climatic shifts stopped reef growth in the eastern Pacific for 2,500 years. The reef shutdown, which began 4,000 years ago, corresponds to a period of dramatic swings in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). "As humans continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the climate is once again on the threshold of a new regime, with dire consequences for reef ecosystems unless we get control of climate change," said coauthor Richard Aronson, a biology professor at Florida Institute of Technology.
Doctoral student Lauren Toth and Aronson, her adviser at Florida Tech, led the study of how past episodes of climate change influenced tropical reefs of the eastern Pacific. Toth, Aronson and a multi-institutional research team drove 17-foot, small-bore aluminum pipes deep into the dead frameworks of coral reefs along the Pacific coast of Panama and pulled out cross-sections of the reefs. By analyzing the corals in the cores, they were able to reconstruct the history of the reefs over the past 6,000 years.
"We were shocked to find that 2,500 years of reef growth were missing from the frameworks," said Toth. "That gap represents the collapse of reef ecosystems for 40 percent of their total history." When Toth and Aronson examined reef records from other studies across the Pacific, they discovered the same gap in reefs as far away as Australia and Japan...
Scenarios of climate change for the coming century echo the climate patterns that collapsed reefs in the eastern Pacific 4,000 years ago. The reefs off Panama are on the verge of another collapse.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Healthy coral reef today. (Credit: © vlad61_61 / Fotolia)
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It’s well past time that natural-climate change deniers be called out for their crazy concept as mankind as center of the universe and more powerful than nature.
“Hang the nay sayers, for they spread the untruth of scientific fact that counters the ‘accepted doctrine of today.’” One must not suffer the “witch of the scientist who looks at the historical records” to live.
Insert additional sarcastic comments below toward those who will condemn this graduate student:
And the “greenhouse gas” carbon dioxide, just how does its presence affect the growth of coral? The chemistry involved is the dissolution of the calcium carbonate that makes up the structure of the coral reef is contained in the reaction of calcium carbonate with excess CO2:
Ca2CO3 + CO2 + H2O—> Ca(HCO3)2, Calcium bicarbonate, which is highly soluble. Every student of freshman Chemistry 101 has seen this demonstration reaction, where a milky emulsion of calcium carbonate stirred up in water becomes clear on the introduction of CO2 gas into the water.
A fact seemingly not considered by the “environmentalists” - Carbon dioxide is more soluble in COLD water than in warm water. Therefore, the warmer the water, the more the formation of coral is encouraged, and the COLDER the water is, the more rapidly the coral reefs, made of Calcium carbonate, will dissolve.
As oceans warm, more CO2 is given up to the atmosphere, therefore increasing the apparent concentration of that particular compound in the composition of air at sea level. Very cold temperatures trap the carbon dioxide in water solution, forming the very weak carbonic acid, but also aiding in the growth metabolism of aquatic plants. Now to “environuts” all this is just the reverse of what they seem to believe, but that is how the cycle of life works.
Contrary to popular belief among the “environuts” water vapor is a FAR more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide could ever be, in any terrestrial circumstances.
This is more likely from the Sam Houston Institute of Technology.
“with dire consequences for reef ecosystems unless we get control of climate change”
Gack, the cognitive dissonance is astounding. The article is all about other dramatic climate events in history, yet implies that THIS time it is caused by humans. Just. Gack.
They are full of it.
I wish these folks would use some common sense before they open their mouths and spout nonsense. There has been climate change for eons, and there will continue to be climate change for eons more. During the time mentioned by Mr. Aronson, there were no humans with any appreciable activity, yet the change occurred anyway. That tells me that there are powerful forces in nature that create changes in the climate.
Even though we are putting CO2 into the atmosphere, our contribution is miniscule, compared to natural sources. Humans may be able to affect the air quality in their local areas, but there is no way we can cause changes in the global climate.
Bookmark.
I like that. That's going to get used. It's very accurate.
So it was natural so long ago, but yet our evil carbon release is going to harm it again, even though it naturally happened before?
The great barrier reef in Australia was formed after the ocean level raised after the last ice age ten thousand years ago. The reefs are born and die naturally. The AGW scam has ZERO to do with it. These clingers just keep slinging the crap in hopes of keeping the grant money coming in.
Without climate change, there would be no life on Earth.
control the Sun
control the tides
control climate change
all fallacies that can never happen
...large waves caused by distant storms off the coast of South Africa... three to four thousand years ago... broke coral rubble off the reef and transported it onto reef platforms creating the foundations for the reef islands. At the time, sea levels were up to 0.5 metres higher than they are today...
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