OPEN REEF - ΤΟ ΕΙΔΙΚΟ ΦΟΡΟΥΜ ΓΙΑ ΕΝΥΔΡΕΙΑ ΥΦΑΛΩΝ

Hi Folks,

Antesco asked me to drop by and visit, and I told him I would. Unfortunately my posts will have to be in English for which I apologize.

One of my major "missions" lately has been trying to make reef aquarists aware of the disaster that is approaching with regards to reefs. There are many excellent articles in the peer-reviewed professional press (= scientific literature) that describe some of the problems. I have attached one that covers most of them. It is relatively recent, being published in August of 2008. Unfortunately again, it is in English, but I hope some person here will take the time to translate it for you all.

The real bottom line is that within 20 to 30 years, most coral reefs will be nothing but fading memories. The Caribbean is all but gone, and the Indo-Pacific is on its way out.

I guess the only thing to say is to read it and weep.

Welcome Ron,

and thank you for visiting us.

Indeed, your last presentation during your visit in Greece was the most impressive and made a lot of us wonder whether people have taken all this seriously at all.

There are a number of people that express some scepticism on whether reefs are really dying, but the article you have posted provides all the answers in a much documented manner.

I hope me or someone else will find the time to trasnlate it or at least make a summary of it.

After a quick look, I don't think I found anywhere the issue on the alkalinity and the lack of calcification you talked about while in Greece. Would it be too much to ask if you can remind us that issue ? I remember you saying that this has happened before on earth, many million years ago, and that the reasons then where meteorites falling on earth, or volcano eruption, but that it took thousands of years to achieve the same think that we managed with our CO2 emissions over the last 60 years... Correct ?

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Θάνος
antesco@openreef.gr

Welcome to our forum !!!!!
I hope you often visit and you contribute with your own reason in the work and in the efforts of us all !!

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Φιλικά ....Γιώργος.
Αν έχετε Mantis στο ενυδρείο σας να της μιλάτε καταλαβαίνουν περισσότερα από τον σκύλο σας.

Welcome Dr. Shimek!!

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''simplicity is genius''

It's our honor, your visit in our forum..

Welcome Dr. Shimek !
Your presence here , will help us a lot.

Is there anything that aquarists can do ,in order to change the coral reefs disaster ?
We need some hope...

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I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude to you Dr. Shimek!

Welcome to OpenReef.gr

Hi,

The buzz-words for these chages are "ocean acidification" and it is in the article, but not obvious.

Pretty close! The human-caused time-frame for damage is about 200 years, more-or-less since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and the associated phenomenal use of fossil fuels.

I have attached the best reference (I think) that discusses the demise of the reefs particularly. Again - as will always be the case with me, I am sorry that this in English, but...

It is a short article, but succinct and very, very saddening.

It was published in the scientific journal, Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a very highly reputable source.

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"The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind. The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man." Charles Darwin (1809-1882) :cool:

Hi,

I really can't nonestly say there is anything we can do to change things. The magnitude of the problem is so huge that even major changes by governments will not likely alter the outcome, although they may slow it slightly.

What we can do, and what I "push" when I speak to hobbyists, is that we can learn to raise = spawn and breed - some of our harder to maintain animals so that we 1) have done something positive for these otherwise doomed creatures and 2) have a hobby.

Cheers,

Ron

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"The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind. The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man." Charles Darwin (1809-1882) :cool:

Dear sir

Good morning from Greece

As I can understand you are a Darwinist
I have a question for you which I think you are on of the few that may have an answer for it.

Always according to speciation and genetic diversity of organisms, are there any coral species that decline from normal average growth values, which may be able to develop and reproduce under the new climatic changes? Or furthermore are there any individuals within the genetic diversity of a species which, based on the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, may have reversed the equilibrium itself?

"every living cell carries with it all the expereince of an "experiment" that started by its ancestors 1 million years ago.."
Max Delbruck (1949)

Regards

George

Μετάφραση

Σύμφωνα με την ειδογένεση και την γενετική ποικιλομορφία που διακρίνει τους οργανισμούς έχουν παρατηρηθεί αυτή την στιγμή είδη κοραλιών τα οποία να αποκλείνουν απο τις φυσιολογικές μέσες τιμές ανάπτυξης και να αναπτύσονται και να αναπαράγονται στη νεα κλιματική αλλάγη ή και να προηπήρχαν στην γενετική ποικιλομορφία άτομα τα οποία βάση του ισοζύγιου Hardy-Weinberg να αντιστρέψαν το ισοζύγιο?

"..κάθε ζωντανό κύτταρο μεταφέρει μαζί του όλη την εμπειρία ενός "πειράματος" που άρχισε από τους προγόνους του πριν από 1 δισ. χρόνια.."
Max Delbruck (1949)

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''simplicity is genius''