Coral reefs around the coast of Sri Lanka may have suffered
much less damage from the Indian Ocean tsunami than was initially
feared, early surveys have suggested.
Israeli scientists predict the world's
coral reefs could begin to collapse in as little as 30 years from now. Studies
show the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic as they soak up manmade
emissions of carbon dioxide.
Tsunamis and hurricanes did serious damage
to coral reefs in 2004. Correspondent Betty Ann Bowser takes a look at
problems with reef health and management solutions in part one of a
two-part series.
The stranded Chinese ship Cape Flattery ran
aground offshore from some of the most valuable coral reef communities
on O'ahu, but it will be several days before a survey of the actual
damage is done.
Tiny single-celled creatures, many of them
previously unknown to science, have been found at the deepest point in
the world's oceans, almost 11km down.
When it comes time to perform difficult tasks, octopuses do their best
impression of humans, according to a new report. Results published
today in Nature indicate that the soft-bodied creatures move their arms
as if they were jointed to lift objects.
Scientists have discovered a new species of
coral off the southern California coast that flames like a pink and
white Christmas tree as well as a new species of worm that lives off it.
A surprising chain of events and chemical reactions link a rise in air
pollution over land to a decrease in a common greenhouse gas over sea,
announced researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology on
Thursday.
This week the UK's Royal Navy presented images taken by the
survey ship HMS Scott of the damage
to the floor of the Indian Ocean that triggered the tsunami two months
ago. The Scott has a high-resolution multi-beam sonar that let it generate
highly detailed images of the sea floor, some 200m to 5000m below sea level.
An image showing the
scale of the damage, and the
full presentation made
by the Commanding Officer of HMS Scott (38MB PowerPoint) are available. The
presentation contains a number of images that have more detail than those
available on the websites.
In a move to protect deep-sea coral beds and other sensitive fish habitat,
the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has proposed closing bottom trawling
over more than half the fishable waters off Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
"The Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004 report documents how human activities
continue to be the primary cause of the global coral reef crisis. The report
details many new initiatives aimed at reversing this degradation such as by conserving
the biodiversity, the economic value and beauty of coral reefs." Download in
sections (PDF) or as two complete volumes:
