11 Nov In HOT water
Birds eye view of the Great Barrier Reef
I have worked and played on the reef for over 20 years – as a snorkel guide, an officer in marine park management, a recreational diver, a recreational fisher, free diver and generally simply enjoying the marine playground before me. In this relatively short time that I have known the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), even I have seen the changes that have occurred and I now believe we are at a turning point. These next 20 years could make or break the state of the GBR as we know it.
What a healthy reef should look like
Coral reefs have existed for over 500 million years. The Great Barrier Reef itself is relatively young at an estimated 500,000 years – but in its most modern state as we know it today – it is a mere 8,000 years young! It is the largest living structure and can be seen from space. Since the Industrial Age began in the 18th Century, due to burning fossil fuels, our carbon gas emissions have contributed to the heating of the planet by exacerbating the Green House Gas effect. Whether you believe in Climate Change or not, please know this – by causing the Earth to warm from a giant blanket of gas that has nowhere to go, humans are responsible for a global increase in temperature from our lifestyle, in a relatively short space of time. And this continues to accumulate year to year.
Bleached staghorn (acropora) corals
Previously, the focus was on coastal development, poor water quality, pollution and overfishing as causes for reduced coral health. While these still put pressure on our coral reef ecosystems, we can now attribute excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and global warming as our biggest threats to coral reefs world-wide. The most remote reefs will be impacted by increasing sea surface temperatures, despite existing far in distance from the highest contributors of carbon emissions. The island communities in these remote areas will suffer from sea level rise – which is ironic as these communities contribute the least amount to global warming but will feel the repercussions of overpopulated cities far far away.
Excess carbon sinks into our oceans as it cannot sustain itself in our atmosphere. This changes the natural pH of the ocean, and the result is our oceans become more acidic – a phenomenon known as Ocean Acidification. Our oceans today are already 30% more acidic than before the Industrial Revolution. The more acidic waters affect the ability of corals to grow and calcify. Again, our burning of fossil fuels affect coral reefs world-wide and any animal that builds a calcium carbonate shell around itself, like oysters or mussels.
Once coral polyps die, the white skeletons that remain become covered in algae
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW TO CORALS
Since 1985 to 2012, we have lost 50% of coral cover in the GBR. In 2016, mass coral bleaching occurred in the northern third of the GBR stretching from Port Douglas to the very tip of Cape York – my old stomping ground from when I worked for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. It is estimated that 67% of the coral died due to that bleaching event.
I have been on Christmas Island, Australia now for just over 3 weeks. Christmas Island is 2600km northwest of Perth on the west coast of Australia, and is a tiny blip in the ocean. We are serviced by only 2 flights per week from Perth. The corals here have experienced coral bleaching these last few summers as water temperatures soared past 30 degrees celcius and remained high for an extended period of time. When I first arrived here this trip, the water temperature was cool enough that I had to snorkel in a wet suit – whilst not my favourite thing to do on a tropical island, the cool water temp was a welcome relief for the corals. Come 2 weeks later and the water temperature is now warm enough for me to be neoprene free because it is warming up for Summer already – not a promising outlook for the corals 🙁
Bleached anemone – where’s Nemo?!?!
Over the last 30 years, the GBR has experienced several intense episodes of coral bleaching – 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2016, triggered by an average global warming of close to 1 degree celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. 2017 was our first mass bleaching event to occur in consecutive years, and the GBR did not cope very well. Not wanting to give up hope for our coral reefs there are several inspirational people that I admire and volunteer for. They have an unlimited passion for the reef and will go to great lengths to protect & preserve it. Let me introduce you:
Gary McKenna heads up Reef Restoration Foundation. Gary is a divemaster, electrician and hobby aquarist with his own tank housing a small reef scene of corals and fish. When taking his now 7-year-old son snorkelling at Fitzroy Island
New corals growing in a coral nursery
(off the coast of Cairns) some years back, Gary became aware of the declining health of the reef. At home, he watched his own tank in awe as he realised how easy it is to turn one piece of coral into ten! In March 2016, Gary took on the challenge to create Reef Restoration Foundation. The goal is to grow coral fragments that will be used to restore areas where corals have not survived with the hope to return the area back to good health. After 18 months, and putting together the right team, Gary has beaten the odds against him, and was successfully granted all the necessary permits that are required to operate coral nurseries on the GBR. How did Gary stay so committed to the cause? He was motivated by his son. To ensure the reef would still be around for him and future generations to come and enjoy it. Gary is a humble man. He creates each foundation for a new coral by hand in his apartment and he battles his way through red tape and applications with such determination. His dedication is mind blowing! He is an inspiration of the difference a single man can have when you put your mind to it. As the project gains momentum, Gary will need more man-power on the ground, so please contact Gary to volunteer your time and help make the reef more resilient for the future.
GREAT BARRIER REEF (GBR) LEGACY
John Rumney (JR) is a marine legend in the Cairns/Port Douglas area. He has inspired many of us to follow our passions of the sea and educate the general public to care for it. When JR asked me to be a part of his latest project – a not for profit that aims to create collaboration between scientists, tourism industry, educators, media professionals and the general public towards the preservation of coral reefs – I couldn’t say no. I have been volunteering for over a year now with GBR Legacy, and I am excited and extremely proud to report that this time next week, we will be running their first research expedition – “Search for the Super Corals” – which sets sail on 15 November. The vessel will travel to the remote Far Northern section of GBR – typically the most pristine coral on the GBR, protected by its remoteness and lack of coastal development. It was not immune to increases in sea temperatures.
Science for Solutions! Conducting reef health assessment surveys to improve management of reefs
Free berths have been given to the best marine scientists in their field to discover which coral species survived the recent bleaching events, where and why they survived and what it means for the future for the health of coral reefs throughout the globe. GBR Legacy is 100% volunteer run. And the best thing about it is that we are a team of motivated, dedicated people, that are not always in the same location, but we still make it work! We hope that this expedition will be the first of many more to come.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
I know many people feel overwhelmed when they hear stories that the reef is dying and it is too late to reverse the effects of global warming. But YOU CAN contribute towards making a positive change. Think Globally, Act Locally! You can reduce your carbon emissions by little things at home such as using less electricity (simply by turning off lights), walking as much as you can instead of driving the car, volunteering for organisations making a difference, such as GBR Legacy and Reef Restoration Foundation, or by raising awareness of these organisations. A simple like or share of their posts can do wonders for them to increase their reach to finding a suitable source of funding that will allow them to work towards bigger goals.
Healthy corals with abundant fish life
If you are a naysayer and refuse to believe in climate change or global warming, I ask you this: What does it hurt to put in place some precautions just in case what the tree hugging hippies are saying is correct? If we do nothing to reduce our carbon emissions and turns out we mess up our planet irreversibly, it will be too late to do anything. So why not reduce our impact today (as it doesn’t really hurt us to do so), before we risk losing everything forever? I know I would like to continue to see coral reefs, and this whole beautiful planet we live on, in as much natural beauty as possible – and I wish this for the many more generations to come in the future.
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