Comments on: Two approaches to saving coral reefs http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/ Exploring Science and the Environment Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:38:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Dan Kulpinski http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1543 Dan Kulpinski Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:59:45 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1543 Mark1 -- One way things are different today is that the carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere each year is 10,000 times what Nature does on its own through the carbon cycle. NASA scientist James Hansen pointed this out in a recent speech at the National Press Club. So the CO2 inputs are vastly greater than normal. And that extra CO2 is warming the planet, which has consequences. See my post about Hansen's speech here: http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2008/06/28/hansen-describes-planetary-emergency/ -dan Mark1 — One way things are different today is that the carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere each year is 10,000 times what Nature does on its own through the carbon cycle. NASA scientist James Hansen pointed this out in a recent speech at the National Press Club. So the CO2 inputs are vastly greater than normal. And that extra CO2 is warming the planet, which has consequences.

See my post about Hansen’s speech here: http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2008/06/28/hansen-describes-planetary-emergency/

-dan

]]> By: Mark1 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1542 Mark1 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:01:27 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1542 I agree with the other comments. Let's show the evidence for such an incredible statement. Too often today, we just hear statements and we believe them. The earth has been going through natural and normal stages since it inception. Why is this different? Cheers, Mark I agree with the other comments. Let’s show the evidence for such an incredible statement. Too often today, we just hear statements and we believe them. The earth has been going through natural and normal stages since it inception. Why is this different?

Cheers,

Mark

]]> By: indonesia first http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1435 indonesia first Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:27:24 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-1435 nice coral and nice view, lets go come again nice coral and nice view, lets go come again

]]> By: Dan Kulpinski http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-647 Dan Kulpinski Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:09:52 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-647 You make a lot of general statements, but you don't provide any specific evidence to back them up. I did some more research and found that the biggest culprit in coral bleaching is warmer sea surface temperatures. We know from observations that sea temperatures have risen, on average worldwide, about 0.1 degrees Celsius (0.18 F) since 1961. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that his increase could only be explained by a combination of natural and anthropogenic causes. In addition, the oceans absorb 80 percent of the heat added to the climate by warming. So climate change is helping make the oceans warmer, which is most likely causing some coral to die (they can't tolerate even small increases in water temperature). (See the IPCC report "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis," http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm) See this NOAA site for more about coral bleaching: http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cleo/coral_bleaching.shtml As for your statement that things never stay the same, that's true, the world -- and our environment -- is constantly changing. Some people argue that we should not try to preserve the environment as it is, but protect it as best we can in the context of change. I think there is some merit to this argument. We have to acknowledge, however, that human activity is causing a lot of environmental change. Our actions do have impacts and consequences. Some examples include building dams, redirecting rivers, cutting down forests, planting crops, strip mining and mountaintop removal mining, fishing, factory farming livestock, paving roads and parking lots, landfilling trash, burning trash -- and, yes, fossil fuel use and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to climate change, one of the most convincing pieces of evidence to me is that we can't explain the temperature rise that we've observed over the past century if we only include the effects of solar activity and volcanoes. Computer simulations show that the average global temperature should be lower if there was no human impact from greenhouse gases. Only when we add human impacts to the simulations do we get a result that matches the observed rise in temperature -- which has been 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850. We've factored in the changes solar activity and they don't have as much impact as long-lived greenhouse gases. You make a lot of general statements, but you don’t provide any specific evidence to back them up.

I did some more research and found that the biggest culprit in coral bleaching is warmer sea surface temperatures. We know from observations that sea temperatures have risen, on average worldwide, about 0.1 degrees Celsius (0.18 F) since 1961. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that his increase could only be explained by a combination of natural and anthropogenic causes. In addition, the oceans absorb 80 percent of the heat added to the climate by warming.

So climate change is helping make the oceans warmer, which is most likely causing some coral to die (they can’t tolerate even small increases in water temperature). (See the IPCC report “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis,” http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm)

See this NOAA site for more about coral bleaching: http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cleo/coral_bleaching.shtml

As for your statement that things never stay the same, that’s true, the world — and our environment — is constantly changing. Some people argue that we should not try to
preserve the environment as it is, but protect it as best we can in the context of change. I think there is some merit to this argument.

We have to acknowledge, however, that human activity is causing a lot of environmental change. Our actions do have impacts and consequences. Some examples include building dams, redirecting rivers, cutting down forests, planting crops, strip mining and mountaintop removal mining, fishing, factory farming livestock, paving roads and parking lots, landfilling trash, burning trash — and, yes, fossil fuel use and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions.

When it comes to climate change, one of the most convincing pieces of evidence to me is that we can’t explain the temperature rise that we’ve observed over the past century if we only include the effects of solar activity and volcanoes. Computer simulations show that the average global temperature should be lower if there was no human impact from greenhouse gases. Only when we add human impacts to the simulations do we get a result that matches the observed rise in temperature — which has been 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850.

We’ve factored in the changes solar activity and they don’t have as much impact as long-lived greenhouse gases.

]]> By: Benjamin Napier http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-545 Benjamin Napier Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:48:00 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/#comment-545 Global warming is not killing coral reefs. Let nature worry about the coral. Man can tear up or kill coral in a limited area. But, left alone, nature wipes out all evidence of man. Coral is killed every day. New coral organisms hatch every day. The earth's climate has oscillated between (what we call) warm and cool for eons. Some flora and Fauna dies and/or migrates. That left mutates or adapts. Rmember the axiom: mutate, migrate, adapt or die. Nature adheres to this. It is only man that vainly hopes for things to stay the same. It ain't gonna happen. Worry about politicians wrecking your economy, your way of life and in some cases, your life itself. Let nature do it's thing. Keep in mind that not one of the computer models used by the smart folks in the alarmist "climate change" crowd has proven predictive in any way. No one knows what the climate is going to do. Given the recent reduction in the activity of the sun, it might be a good bet to expect cooling in the near future. Global warming is not killing coral reefs. Let nature worry about the coral. Man can tear up or kill coral in a limited area. But, left alone, nature wipes out all evidence of man. Coral is killed every day. New coral organisms hatch every day. The earth’s climate has oscillated between (what we call) warm and cool for eons. Some flora and Fauna dies and/or migrates. That left mutates or adapts. Rmember the axiom: mutate, migrate, adapt or die. Nature adheres to this. It is only man that vainly hopes for things to stay the same. It ain’t gonna happen.

Worry about politicians wrecking your economy, your way of life and in some cases, your life itself. Let nature do it’s thing. Keep in mind that not one of the computer models used by the smart folks in the alarmist “climate change” crowd has proven predictive in any way. No one knows what the climate is going to do. Given the recent reduction in the activity of the sun, it might be a good bet to expect cooling in the near future.

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