Rescuers failed for a second day to save two rare dolphins
in tsunami-hit Thailand on Tuesday after a local official and
environmentalists argued about how best to save the mammals
swept inland by the giant waves. The dolphins -- a female adult
and her calf -- were dumped in a 300 metre by 200 metre lake
left by the wall of water that struck Thailand's Andaman Sea
coastline on Dec. 26. The Indo-Pacific Humpbacks were probably
swept ashore in the first or second waves, environmentalists
say, and were stuck behind a 4-5 metre embankment about 1,400
metres (1,500 yards) from the sea. [Read
More]
The ring of coral in crystal waters around the Surin Island
chain off Thailand's west coast forms a sturdy defense against
the sea. So when the tsunami struck on Sunday it punched a
few holes in the reef, but the structure mostly held firm.
The reef, says Thai marine environmentalist Thon Thamrongnavasawadi,
may have saved many lives. Only a handful of people on the
islands are known to have perished -- most scrambled to safety
as the first wave exploded against the coral. Tragically, across
much of Asia, coastal communities found themselves with no
such shield against nature's fury. The protective reefs, sand
dunes and mangroves that look out toward the Indian Ocean in
a broad arc from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh and Indonesia have
been dynamited and bulldozed by a force as unstoppable as the
tsunami itself -- the force that drives some of the world's
fastest-growing economies. [Read
More]
Sydney, Australia - A landmark decision has been made in Australia
to increase protection of the Ningaloo Coral Reef, one of the
world’s most spectacular natural wonders. [Read
More]
It is mid-day, humid, and stiflingly hot. The cicadas’ high-pitched
song creates a sound curtain blocking out all other noise.
Hundreds of spiky roots point up through the grey mud like
a bed of nails. Roots weave in and out, creating a complicated
maze at knee height. The mangrove forest is virtually impenetrable
and hiking here is not exactly easy. But, it’s full of
life. [Read
More]
Buenos Aires, Argentina – More than two thirds of the
world's reefs are severely damaged or under risk of further
degradation, and climate change remains the greatest long-term
threat to corals, according to the 2004 edition of Status of
Coral Reefs of the World. [Read
More]
Suva, Fiji - WWF is embarking on a two-week survey of the
Cakaulevu Reef, off the Fijian island of Vanua Levu, believed
to be the third largest barrier reef in the world. [Read
More]
Some 13,000 new marine species have been discovered in the
past year, according to information released by an international
alliance of scientists. [Read
More]
KANE'OHE BAY — Army divers are relocating the equivalent
of a quarter of an acre of coral heads blocking the channel
to Coconut Island and giving new life to a dead reef sheared
off more than 60 years ago. [Read
More]
A collection of 1,490 coral reef images has become the basis
for a new Internet- based library for the Millennium Coral
Reef Project. It was created in a partnership with NASA, international
agencies, universities and other organizations to provide natural
resource managers a comprehensive world data resource on coral
reefs and adjacent land areas. [Read
More]
For some time, scientists have predicted that the world's
coral reefs will be among the first ecosystems to suffer devastating
damage from global warming. Some reefs, however, are proving
surprisingly resilient, researchers say, not because of qualities
of the corals themselves, but because of heat-tolerant algae
that live with them....[Read
More]
With ocean temperatures that never dip below 20 degrees Celsius
(68 degrees F) and only reach up to 30 degrees Celsius (86
degrees F) on hot summer days, the South Pacific Ocean above
the Fiji Plateau is the perfect location for coral reefs. Reefs
ring nearly all of the country’s approximately 840 islands,
and Matangi Island is no exception. In this Ikonos image, underwater
reefs form a hazy blue-green halo around the island. [Read
More]
RESTON, Va., Dec. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- A team of scientists
has determined that a coral reef discovered in 1999 is the
deepest reef ever found off the continental U.S., the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) announced today. The reef lies in
approximately 250 feet of water off the coast of southwest
Florida on a submerged barrier-island named Pulley Ridge. It
is a significant discovery that may be unique. Besides hosting
the reef, Pulley Ridge survived rising sea level and erosion
from waves and currents. [Read
More]
The United Nations yesterday set aside $1 million to assess
environmental damage caused by this week's devastating tsunami,
as reports of destroyed coral reefs and uprooted mangrove forests
began trickling in. [Read
More]
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