Coral reef | Jotup

Fashion for a Cause: How Getting Nauti Supports Ocean Conservation

Retrieved on:

Monday, April 1, 2024

Rehabilitation, CRF, Partnership, Health, Education, Coral reef, Coral, Climate change, Clothing, Emotion, Food

It has the power to convey messages, evoke emotions, and, in the case of Getting Nauti, drive meaningful change and make a difference.

Key Points:

It has the power to convey messages, evoke emotions, and, in the case of Getting Nauti, drive meaningful change and make a difference.
With each purchase made through Getting Nauti, customers not only enhance their wardrobe with high-quality, creatively designed products but also contribute to the vital cause of ocean conservation.
As the fashion industry continues to evolve, Getting Nauti exemplifies how style and sustainability can go hand in hand.
With its unwavering dedication to ocean conservation, this innovative brand proves that fashion can be a force for good — one stylish purchase at a time.

Friday essay: ‘mourning cannot be an endpoint’ – James Bradley on living in an Age of Emergency

Retrieved on:

Friday, April 5, 2024

Although it is early, the day is already unseasonably warm, the sky hazy with smoke from hazard-reduction burns to the south and north of the city.

Key Points:

Although it is early, the day is already unseasonably warm, the sky hazy with smoke from hazard-reduction burns to the south and north of the city.
Walking to the water’s edge I wade out and dive, then stroke outwards until my breath gives out and I surface with a gasp.
There is something very particular about looking back towards the shore from deeper water.
Amid the convulsions of COVID, a hastening wave of calamity has made it clear that the first stages of climate breakdown are upon us.
Food production will decline markedly, especially in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America.
Warming and acidifying waters will severely impact the fisheries that provide one-third of the world with their principal source of protein.

A shift

Attempting to comprehend its immensity and fluid multiplicity alters us, making it possible to glimpse new continuities and connections.
As the late Sven Lindqvist observes in his interrogation of the racist and genocidal foundations of European imperialism, “It is not knowledge we lack.
It is the courage to understand what we know and draw conclusions.” In other words, the path through involves more than just a shift in energy sources.
It begins in a reckoning with the past, and demands a far more fundamental reorganisation of the global economy, a shift to a model that operates within planetary boundaries and shares resources for the benefit of all.
Such a shift is not impossible.

Beauty and astonishment

How do we make sense of the disappearance of coral reefs, of dying kelp and collapsing ecosystems?
How do we imagine a world in which the massing life that once inhabited not just the oceans but the earth and the sky is largely gone?
More than that, however, the act of openness creates the possibility of love and joy and – improbably – wonder.
However much has been lost, the world still hums with beauty and astonishment.

No less importantly, it is to recognise that despair is also a form of turning away.
Yet, like the scientists working to save coral reefs, he said he did not know what else he could do.

Instead, grief must be part of a larger recognition that there is no longer any way back, that the only route now is forward.
Surviving it demands we build a world that treats everybody – human and non-human – as worthy of life and possibility.
I turn to look out to the horizon, its fading margin between sea and sky a space of grief, but also possibility.
This is an edited extract from Deep Water: the world in the ocean by James Bradley (Hamish Hamilton).

James Bradley was the recipient of the Copyright Agency Non-Fiction Fellowship for 2020.

4ocean and Coral Gardeners Launch New Coral Adoption Program to Help Save Coral Reefs

Retrieved on:

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Climate change, Collection, Globiceps, Food, Coral, Coral reef, River, Movement, Health, Partnership, Death, Growth, 4Ocean, UNEP, Limestone, Seaweed

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, 4ocean announces a new partnership with Coral Gardeners to help restore damaged coral reefs and remove trash from the world oceans, rivers, and coastlines. By purchasing a limited-edition, recycled ocean plastic bracelet from the Restoration Collection, customers will remove 5 pounds of trash from the ocean, plant a coral in the 4ocean Coral Nursery, and be able to track its growth until it is outplanted onto the reef in French Polynesia.

Key Points:

BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, 4ocean announces a new partnership with Coral Gardeners to help restore damaged coral reefs and remove trash from the world oceans, rivers, and coastlines.
Coral reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea and play a critical role in global ocean health.
Nearly half of the world's coral reefs are already considered to be damaged beyond repair, with the rest experiencing ongoing bleaching events.
The Restoration Collection from 4ocean and Coral Gardeners will help restore some of these damaged reefs through a coral adoption program.

Could 'marine cloud brightening' reduce coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef?

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Australia’s Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program – a collaboration between several universities, CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science – is exploring whether cloud brightening could reduce coral bleaching.

Key Points:

Australia’s Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program – a collaboration between several universities, CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science – is exploring whether cloud brightening could reduce coral bleaching.
We started exploring cloud brightening after the mass bleaching event in 2016.
Then we began pilot testing in the central Great Barrier Reef near Townsville during January 2020.

A bright idea

Recently, scientists have begun to consider regional rather than global application of cloud brightening.
Could brightening clouds directly over the Great Barrier Reef for a few months reduce coral bleaching during a marine heat wave?
The sea salt particles sprayed in the process typically only persist in the atmosphere for one to several days.
Read more:
We are poised to pass 1.5℃ of global warming – world leaders offer 4 ways to manage this dangerous time

How do you brighten a cloud?

A warm cloud (as opposed to an ice cloud) is a collection of small water droplets floating in the air.
Every droplet begins with the condensation of water vapour around a nucleus, which can be almost any kind of tiny particle suspended in air.
Typically, in the lower atmosphere over land there are thousands to tens of thousands of these tiny particles suspended in every cubic centimetre of air.
To brighten such clouds, we can spray large quantities of microscopic seawater droplets into the air.

Testing the theory

Although scientists have researched cloud brightening for more than 30 years, no one had ever directly tested the theory.
In Australia, we have now developed technology to a point where we are starting to measure the response of the clouds.

Not so far-fetched

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates humanity’s unintentional release of aerosols offsets around 30% of the warming effect due to greenhouse gases.
Sulphates in ship exhaust are such a potent source of aerosols for droplet formation, the passage of ships leaves cloud trails called ship tracks.

Too hard basket: why climate change is defeating our political system

Retrieved on:

Sunday, October 1, 2023

When I was first asked to write an opening piece in The Conversation’s series on climate change and the energy transition, I wanted to say no.

Key Points:

When I was first asked to write an opening piece in The Conversation’s series on climate change and the energy transition, I wanted to say no.
It may already be too late to save the world as we know it.
Or should I write “be under threat” instead of “likely be gone”, to soften the story?
The focus on rising temperatures itself makes the future seem more benign than it’s likely to be.

The Albanese government’s softly-softly response

In his 2023 Intergenerational Report Treasurer Jim Chalmers included climate change as one of the five major forces affecting future wellbeing.
It’s one among many, and the emphasis is on the economic opportunities and jobs offered by the energy transformation.
Chief Climate Councillor Tim Flannery said:
Climate dwarfs everything else in this report.
In The New Daily, Michael Pascoe asked, “What is Albanese hiding?
The Labor government’s response to the greatest emergency we face seems set on slow, as if we have time for an incremental response with little disruption to daily life and it’s OK to keep subsidising fossil fuels and approving new gas and coal projects.

Government can and must act

All this after four decades of neoliberalism in which both the federal and state governments have surrendered capacity to the private sector.
But as the COVID crisis showed us, when faced with an emergency our governments can act decisively and put the lives of people ahead of the interests of business.
A report from the Centre for Independent Studies claimed voters born after 1996 were the most progressive since the Second World War.
As the electoral weight shifts away from the old baby boomers Labor’s federal future is likely to be as a minority government with support from Greens and independents who will demand bolder action.

Why we struggle to face facts

Elliot from “Burnt Norton”, the first of his “Four Quartets”:
Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
Cannot bear very much reality.
Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been

Point to one end, which is always present.
Time past and time future What might have been and what has been Point to one end, which is always present.

Mars Tackles Climate Change Across Iconic Brands

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

CHICAGO, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated is working through its iconic and loved brands such as M&M'S® candy, BEN'S ORIGINAL™ rice and PEDIGREE® pet food to tackle climate change by bringing sustainability to the forefront in every part of its business — from farm to table and pet food bowl, supply chain to store, and home to veterinary clinics.

Key Points:

New Ipsos research reveals that nearly half of American adults (47%) think the responsibility to make change that influences climate change lies with multi-national businesses, like Mars.
Mars recently unveiled its innovative open-source action plan—the Mars Net Zero Roadmap —to accelerate action towards achieving Net Zero emissions.
"Our entire Mars business in the U.S and around the world is committed to tackling climate change to help people, pets and the planet thrive - from manufacturing your favorite treats, foods and snacks, to your pet's nutrition and veterinary care," said Anton Vincent, President, Mars Incorporated North America & Global President, Mars Ice Cream.
Mars is also a member of the Sustainable Rice Platform ( SRP ), a global alliance dedicated to helping small farmers grow rice sustainably and increasing their resilience to climate change.

Marine heatwaves don't just hit coral reefs. They can cause chaos on the seafloor

Retrieved on:

Monday, September 4, 2023

When water temperature goes over a seasonal threshold for five days or more, that’s a marine heatwave.

Key Points:

When water temperature goes over a seasonal threshold for five days or more, that’s a marine heatwave.
They do their worst damage in summer, when the ocean is already at its warmest, but they can occur any time of year.
So it’s no surprise marine heatwaves are getting much more intense and more frequent.
In the most devastating marine heatwaves, heat can penetrate right down to the sea bed.

Why do deep marine heatwaves matter?

These shallow oceans are, on average, less than 100 metres deep.
When the shelf ends, there’s usually an abrupt slope into the deep ocean, where there are kilometres of water between surface and seabed.
Marine heatwaves are damaging to life in the seas covering the continental shelf.
When marine heatwaves strike, they can kill.

We don’t know much about deeper marine heatwaves

Instruments are subject to high pressure, corrosive salt water and marine organisms like oysters and sponges settling on them.
This is one reason why we only have very limited data on long-term trends in temperatures under the surface.
Our earlier research found marine heatwaves at depth can actually be more intense and last longer compared to the surface.
We found marine heatwaves come in a variety of types and have different causes.
For instance, winter marine heatwaves often run from surface to seafloor.

Marine heatwaves are not created equally

Of course, slowing ocean warming and preventing marine heatwaves from damaging ecosystems means slashing carbon emissions.
Read more:
Coral reefs: How climate change threatens the hidden diversity of marine ecosystems
Amandine Schaeffer receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

How do coral reefs thrive in parts of the ocean that are low in nutrients? By eating their algal companions

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Coral reefs thrive in parts of the world’s oceans that are low in nutrients.

Key Points:

Coral reefs thrive in parts of the world’s oceans that are low in nutrients.
This mystery has puzzled scientists for centuries and has become known as the “Darwin paradox of coral reefs”.
We found that many species of coral cultivate and feed on the microscopic algae that live inside their cells.
Coral reefs are important underwater ecosystems that provide a home and feeding ground for countless organisms, sustaining around 25% of the world’s ocean biodiversity.

Vegetarian diet

This nutrient compound was marked by a technique called isotopic labelling, which uses nitrogen atoms that are heavier than normal.
These “heavy” isotopes allowed us to track the movement of nitrogen between the partners of the symbiosis by ultrasensitive detection methods.
Our data suggest that most species of symbiotic corals can supplement their nutrition through such a vegetarian diet.

From the laboratory to the ocean

Together with our colleagues, we also analysed corals growing around remote islands in the Indian Ocean, some with seabirds on them and some without.
Our results show that corals have the potential to farm and feed on their symbiont algae in the wild too.

Global warming could complicate matters

In the future, some coral reefs could face a decrease in nutrient availability due to global warming.
Research suggests that warming surface waters are less likely to receive nutrients from deeper water layers.
The reduced water productivity could result in fewer nutrients for their symbionts and subsequently less food for the coral animals.

Coral reefs: How climate change threatens the hidden diversity of marine ecosystems

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Like the heat waves on land we have all grown familiar with, marine heat waves are being amplified by climate change.

Key Points:

Like the heat waves on land we have all grown familiar with, marine heat waves are being amplified by climate change.
These extreme warm water events have ushered in some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change and are now a major threat to ocean life.
As climate change pushes corals beyond their limits, a key question is why different corals vary in their sensitivity to warm waters.

Pushing corals out of their comfort zones

Corals are highly adapted to the temperature of their local waters, with temperatures even 1 C warmer than normal pushing them out of their comfort zone.
Unusually warm water disrupts the vital relationship between stony corals (the reef-builders) and their symbiotic partners, microscopic algae that provide food to the corals.

Cryptic diversity within a widespread coral species

We focused on the widespread lobed coral (Porites lobata).
This species is amongst the most heat-tolerant corals, and despite almost 90 per cent of all coral cover being lost on Kiritimati, over half of lobed corals survived.
Such biodiversity is known as “cryptic diversity” or “hidden diversity.” Although cryptic diversity is widespread across corals, its ecological implications remain unclear.

Marine heat waves threaten cryptic diversity

Thus, even in a coral widely considered to be stress tolerant, heat waves can have hidden impacts, threatening diversity that is invisible to the naked eye.
Hardly – the Barrier Reef is still in hot water
If future marine heat waves continue to have similar effects, eventually sensitive genotypes like this one could be completely lost, reducing the genetic diversity of coral reefs.

A forced breakup

One hypothesis is that they house symbiotic partners with different heat sensitivities.
We found that the distinct Porites lineages had different partnerships before the heat wave.
The survivors of all lineages had similar symbionts, suggesting specialized relationships between the partners had been lost under extreme temperatures.

Implications for conserving coral reefs

Cryptic species often occupy unique ecological niches and play specific roles within ecosystems.
Using heat tolerant cryptic lineages in restoration approaches, for example, could help make reefs more tolerant to future warming.
While targeted efforts to bolster coral reefs against climate change may buy limited time, the current heat waves blanketing the world’s oceans underscore that the ocean is simply becoming too hot for corals and we need to act rapidly to mitigate the damage.

Coral reefs: How climate change threatens the hidden diversity of aquatic ecosystems

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Like the heat waves on land we have all grown familiar with, marine heat waves are being amplified by climate change.

Key Points:

Like the heat waves on land we have all grown familiar with, marine heat waves are being amplified by climate change.
These extreme warm water events have ushered in some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change and are now a major threat to ocean life.
As climate change pushes corals beyond their limits, a key question is why different corals vary in their sensitivity to warm waters.

Pushing corals out of their comfort zones

Corals are highly adapted to the temperature of their local waters, with temperatures even 1 C warmer than normal pushing them out of their comfort zone.
Unusually warm water disrupts the vital relationship between stony corals (the reef-builders) and their symbiotic partners, microscopic algae that provide food to the corals.

Cryptic diversity within a widespread coral species

We focused on the widespread lobed coral (Porites lobata).
This species is amongst the most heat-tolerant corals, and despite almost 90 per cent of all coral cover being lost on Kiritimati, over half of lobed corals survived.
Such biodiversity is known as “cryptic diversity” or “hidden diversity.” Although cryptic diversity is widespread across corals, its ecological implications remain unclear.

Marine heat waves threaten cryptic diversity

Thus, even in a coral widely considered to be stress tolerant, heat waves can have hidden impacts, threatening diversity that is invisible to the naked eye.
Hardly – the Barrier Reef is still in hot water
If future marine heat waves continue to have similar effects, eventually sensitive genotypes like this one could be completely lost, reducing the genetic diversity of coral reefs.

A forced breakup

One hypothesis is that they house symbiotic partners with different heat sensitivities.
We found that the distinct Porites lineages had different partnerships before the heat wave.
The survivors of all lineages had similar symbionts, suggesting specialized relationships between the partners had been lost under extreme temperatures.

Implications for conserving coral reefs

Cryptic species often occupy unique ecological niches and play specific roles within ecosystems.
Using heat tolerant cryptic lineages in restoration approaches, for example, could help make reefs more tolerant to future warming.
While targeted efforts to bolster coral reefs against climate change may buy limited time, the current heat waves blanketing the world’s oceans underscore that the ocean is simply becoming too hot for corals and we need to act rapidly to mitigate the damage.