Interesting
RANONGGA, Solomon Islands (AFP) – The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world's most pristine coral reefs.
In an instant, the grinding of the Earth's tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot).
Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide.
Corals that used to form an underwater wonderland of iridescent blues, greens and reds now bleach under the sun, transforming into a barren moonscape surrounding the island.
The stench of rotting fish and other marine life stranded on the reefs when the seas receded is overwhelming and the once vibrant coral is dry and crunches underfoot.
Dazed villagers stand on the shoreline, still coming to terms with the cataclysmic shift that changed the geography of their island forever, pushing the shoreline out to sea by up to 70 metres (230 feet).
Amazing the power of the Earth, eh? To think that a few minutes of shaking could do all that.
Kinda makes one think about the miniscule works of Man, and how some auto's could be the main culprit for the current overall warming trend, last couple days to the contrary. In a matter of minutes, corals were killed. But, quess what? Coral has been around since the Cambrian era, 570 million years ago. Like cockroaches, they will be around a long, long time. Doesn't mean we should not do what we can to keep the seas clean, just that we shouldn't worry abut silly CO2 output.
Meanwhile, the silly U.N. IPCC has released part two of it's political "global warming is caused by Man" report. The summary of over 1,500 pages was released, sure to be a hoot. Personally, I am not planning on panning it as I did with part one. It is certain to be filled with all sorts of tom foolery and hysteria, lots of "maybe's" and "likely's," but no real science.
BANGKOK, Thailand – Warming temperatures will cause increased drought and sea-level rises in Australia and New Zealand by 2030 and threaten ecologically rich sites such as the Great Barrier Reef, according to excerpts from a new scientific report released Tuesday.
Let me get this straight. The Great Barrier Reef is believed to have begun growing around 20,000 years ago, during the middle of the Ice Age. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age was ending, at which point the sea's went up 350 feet, at one point rising 30 feet in 250 years! The water would actually have been colder then coral generally likes it, due to the deglaciation. Yet, the coral not only survived, but created one of the great natural wonders of the world, which can be seen from space. Yet, a little supposed rise in water heights will kill them completely by 2030? Please. They have survived as a group for much longer. They sure seemed to survive through the Global Climate Optimum, as well as other warmer periods.
Again, we should be more worried about human activity, such as pollution and over fishing, then natural global warming. Heck, nothing is done when crown-of-thorns starfish invade the Reef and start eating the corals. Why? Because they are a natural element. Just like global warming.
Pollution is believed to be one of the components contributing to global warming. Even Newt agrees that global waqrming is a big problem http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/50488.html
John, if we are talking ocean pollution, I will not disagree with you. There is a whole massive chain of events that would lead to mass global warming, then to another ice age. You’ve seen the movie “The Day After Tommorrow,” right? While the effects and time line are overblown, that can actually happen. Look up the effect that plankton has on CO2 to O2.
The US has been doing great things to actually clean the waterways and oceans up. If we weren’t, I would be right there with you. However, the plankton has not been decreasing, and we aren’t getting plankton blooms, which are a sign of dirty water.
Now, this is why I say that Man does have an effect, but only about 10-15%. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that Man has some effect.
Teach said: Yet, a little supposed rise in water heights will kill them completely by 2030?
It’s not the seal-level rise, but the warming of the water. Corals live close to the edge of their tolerance already and even a small temperature increase of one degree can kill the microscopic algae inside the corals. The warming periods the earth has experienced in the past happened over much longer periods of time, which allowed the coral to adapt. The trend we are seeing now is happening much faster.
Teach said: This is why I say that Man does have an effect, but only abut 10-15%
You’ve said this several times. Where do you get this number? Is there a scientific report it is base on?