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Lessons In Coral Reef Survival From Deep Time
Lessons from tens of millions of years ago are pointing to new ways to save and protect today’s coral reefs and their myriad of beautiful and many-hued fishes at a time of huge change in the Earth’s systems.
The complex relationship we see today between fishes and corals developed relatively recently in geological terms – and is a major factor in shielding reef species from extinction, says Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
The red-breasted Maori-wrasse, Cheilinus fasciatus. Like the butterflyfishes and damselfishes, wrasses have evolved in the presence of coral reefs. The close relationship between corals and fishes has stimulated the speciation of reef fishes and provided them with a sanctuary in difficult times. Photo courtesy of João Paulo Krajewski.
“Our latest research provides strong evidence for a view that today’s coral hotspots are both a refuge for old species and a cradle for new ones,” said Peter Cowman, lead author of a recent report. “This is the first real inkling we’ve had that just protecting a large area of reef may not be enough – you have to protect the right sorts of reef.”
Early coral reefs, 300-400 million years ago were much simpler affairs than today’s colourful and complex systems, Prof. Bellwood says. The fish were not specialised to live on or among corals – either lacking jaws altogether, or else feeding on detritus on the seabed or preying on one another.
“By 200 million years ago we are starting to see fish with jaws capable of feeding on corals, but the real explosion in reef diversity doesn’t occur till about 50 million years ago when we see fishes very like today’s specialist coral feeders emerging.”
It is the ever-increasing complexity of this relationship between corals and fishes over the last 20 or 30 million years that produces the wondrous diversity of today’s reefs, he says. Each has become more critical to the survival of the other as their lives have become more interwoven.
“When people think of coral reefs, they usually think of the beautiful branching corals like staghorn (Acropora) – well the evidence is now fairly clear that Acropora needs certain fish for it to flourish. But, it now appears that this may be a reciprocal relationship with Acropora being important for the evolution and survival of fishes on coral reefs. ”
Unfortunately Acropora corals are highly vulnerable to external impacts like Crown-of-Thorns starfish, coral bleaching, climate change and ocean acidification. Their demise will have far reaching effects on the fishes which interact with them, such as damsels, butterfly fish, cardinals and wrasses.
“The study of the past tells us that reefs are all about relationships and, like a family, for them to survive those relationships need to remain strong,” Peter Cowman said.
“In coming years it is probable reefs will be subject to relentless presses that may cause them to change fundamentally. Those with the best long-term prospects of survival will be the ones where the relationships between fish and corals are healthiest.
Both fish and corals managed somehow to survive the five great mass extinction events of the past, though they sustained massive loss of species. Over time these have left us with a world focus of reef biodiversity centered on the Coral Triangle region to Australia’s north, which in turn helps recharge Australian coral reefs, especially in the west.
“The Coral Triangle is currently subject to intensifying human and ecosystem pressure. The latest work by Peter Cowman and Prof Bellwood suggests it is both a cradle for new species and a refuge in troubled times – so it is vital that it remain intact.
“This isn’t about saving individual species or particular reefs, it’s about maintaining the basic relationships which ensure the survival of the whole,” says Prof Bellwood.
“We’ve had a ‘heads up’ from the past that is giving us fresh insights into what is most important on reefs and why we must protect our precious reefs and fishes into the future.”
Their paper “Coral reefs as drivers of cladogenesis: expanding coral reefs, cryptic extinction events, and the development of biodiversity hotspots” by Peter F. Cowman and David R. Bellwood was published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 2543-2562. DOI 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02391.x
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies are proud sponsors of the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, Cairns: 9-13 July 2012.
NASA Sees Repeating La Niña Hitting its Peak
La Niña, "the diva of drought," is peaking, increasing the odds that the Pacific Northwest will have more stormy weather this winter and spring, while the southwestern and southern United States will be dry.
Sea surface height data from NASA's Jason-1 and -2 satellites show that the milder repeat of last year's strong La Niña has recently intensified, as seen in this latest Jason-2 image of the Pacific Ocean.
The image is based on the average of 10 days of data centered on Jan. 8, 2012. It depictsplaces where the Pacific sea surface height is higher than normal (due to warm water) as yellow and red, while places where the sea surface is lower than normal (due to cool water) are shown in blues and purples. Green indicates near-normal conditions. The height of the sea surface over a given area is an indicator of ocean temperature and other factors that influence climate.
This is the second consecutive year that the Jason altimetric satellites have measured lower-than-normal sea surface heights in the equatorial Pacific and unusually high sea surface heights in the western Pacific.
"Conditions are ripe for a stormy, wet winter in the Pacific Northwest and a dry, relatively rainless winter in Southern California, the Southwest and the southern tier of the United States," says climatologist Bill Patzert of JPL. "After more than a decade of mostly dry years on the Colorado River watershed and in the American Southwest, and only two normal rain years in the past six years in Southern California, low water supplies are lurking. This La Niña could deepen the drought in the already parched Southwest and could also worsen conditions that have fueled recent deadly wildfires."
NASA will continue to monitor this latest La Niña to see whether it has reached its expected winter peak or continues to strengthen.
A repeat of La Niña ocean conditions from one year to the next is not uncommon: repeating La Niñas occurred most recently in 1973-74-75, 1998-99-2000 and in 2007-08-09. Repeating La Niñas most often follow an El Niño episode and are essentially the opposite of El Niño conditions. During a La Niña episode, trade winds are stronger than normal, and the cold water that normally exists along the coast of South America extends to the central equatorial Pacific.
La Niña episodes change global weather patterns and are associated with less moisture in the air over cooler ocean waters. This results in less rain along the coasts of North and South America and along the equator, and more rain in the far Western Pacific.
The comings and goings of El Niño and La Niña are part of a long-term, evolving state of global climate, for which measurements of sea surface height are a key indicator. Jason-1 is a joint effort between NASA and the French Space Agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Jason-2 is a joint effort between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CNES and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). JPL manages the U.S. portion of both missions for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.
For more on how La Niña and other climate phenomena are affecting weather in the United States this year, see: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/17jan_missingsnow/.
For more information on NASA's ocean surface topography missions, visit: http://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov.
U.S. Department of Energy Releases New Wave & Tidal Energy Assessment Reports
Reports demonstrate major potential for wave and tidal energy production near U.S. coasts, Alaska & Hawaii
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released two reports detailing the country’s ocean wave and tidal resource energy potential. Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource report is a follow-up to the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) 2004 study, with the most recent evidence suggesting a 26 percent increase in wave energy resources.
The Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States, led by researchers at Georgia Tech Research Corporation in collaboration with DOE, is the first of its kind in the U.S. and includes a geographic information systems (GIS) tool available for public use. The report data concludes that U.S. water power resources, including ocean wave, tidal and conventional hydropower, have the potential to provide 15 percent of our nation’s electricity by 2030.
“The release of both reports demonstrates the attainable energy potential of our nation’s vast ocean resources,” said Sean O’Neill, OREC’s President. “DOE’s investment in these studies, as well as the corresponding results, is a testament to the importance of our unique opportunity to pursue a diverse energy portfolio that includes wave and tidal energy in an effort to secure our energy supply, create jobs and lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
The reports are the most rigorous assessments thus far undertaken by DOE and its collaborative partners, and show the significant renewable energy contributions that waves and tidal currents off of U.S. coasts could provide to the grid. DOE announced the information in the resource assessments could “help to further develop the country’s significant ocean energy resources, create new industries and new jobs in America, and secure U.S. leadership in an emerging global market.”
The wave energy assessment concludes that the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast (Washington, Oregon and California) and Alaska encompass the greatest available wave energy resources in the U.S. The report also outlines the wave energy potential along the East Coast from Maine through North Carolina, and from South Carolina through Florida as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska’s Bering Sea, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
The tidal energy assessment designates and details data for energy resource ‘hot spots’ across the U.S. including Alaska, Maine, Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Page 2 12909 Scarlet Oak Drive Darnestown, Maryland 20878 (301) 869-3790 www.oceanrenewable.com
About the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition
The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) is the only national trade association exclusively dedicated to promoting marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies from clean, renewable ocean resources. Founded in April of 2005, the Coalition has grown to over 60 members including technology developers, consultants, law firms, investor-owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, universities, and scientific and engineering firms. The coalition is working with industry leaders, academic scholars, and other interested NGO's to encourage ocean renewable technologies and raise awareness of their vast potential to help secure an affordable, reliable, environmentally friendly energy future.
OREC seeks a legislative and regulatory regime in the U.S. that fosters the growth of ocean renewable technologies, their commercial development, and support in the race to capture the rich energy potential of our oceans. While other countries have already deployed viable, operating, power generating projects using the emission-free power of ocean waves, currents, and tidal forces, the U.S. is only beginning to acknowledge the importance of these technologies.
National Media Turn To University of New Orleans Naval Architect In Wake Of Cruise Ship Disaster
Chris McKesson, a University of New Orleans adjunct professor of naval architecture and marine engineering, provided analysis to multiple news organizations, including CNN and USA Today, in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster off the Italian coast. Last Friday, the massive cruise ship, carrying 4,200 passengers and crew, had its hull ripped open when it hit rocks and capsized. 11 people died and nearly two dozen more are missing.
On Saturday, McKesson was interviewed live on CNN by anchor Don Lemon. During the five-minute discussion, McKesson provided his perspective on the mechanics of the disaster and described similarities to the sinking of the Titanic. On Sunday, McKesson was interviewed live on a separate CNN program by anchor Fredricka Whitfield.
In the USA Today article, McKesson said, in spite of the fatalities, the accident could have been much worse, and that the ship performed the way it was supposed to. McKesson also offered his expertise during a live appearance on WJR radio in Detroit, Mich., on Monday.
McKesson has 30 years of experience as a naval architect, ranging from managing a small design bureau to representing the United States as a technical expert to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
UNO is one of only a few universities in the world to offer degrees in naval architecture and marine engineering. The School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering was established at UNO in 1980 to meet the demands of the local shipbuilding and offshore industry. UNO offers the Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, the Master of Science in Engineering and the PhD in Engineering and Applied Science.
Statoil Farms Into A Cairn Energy Operated Exploration License Offshore West Greenland
Statoil has acquired a 30.625% working interest in the Pitu licence in Baffin Bay. The licence was awarded to Cairn Energy during the first Baffin Bay licensing round in December 2010.
Cairn will continue as operator and retains a 56.875% working interest while partner Nunaoil will retain its carried (pre-development) interest of 12.5%.
Nicholas Alan Maden, senior vice president in Exploration international in Statoil. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)
The Pitu licence lies immediately adjacent to the two Shell-operated licences, Anu and Napu, where Statoil has a working interest of 20.125% and 14.875% respectively.
“We are looking forward to exploring this new frontier opportunity in Baffin Bay together with our partners and in close cooperation with the Greenland authorities. The new licence increases the optionality in our arctic portfolio,” says Nicholas Alan Maden, senior vice president in Exploration international in Statoil.
The current work programme includes the interpretation of recently acquired seismic data. The first exploration period expires on 31 December 2014 and all initial work commitments have been fulfilled.
The partnership will evaluate the seismic data prior to making a decision on drilling an exploration well. Cairn will retain operatorship at this stage, while Statoil will operate any future development.
The agreement is subject to final partner and Greenlandic governmental approval.
In 1999, Statoil drilled an exploration well in the Fylla area west of Greenland. The company relinquished this exploration licence in 2002. Statoil is a member of the KANUMAS group in East Greenland.
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