>> DR. MARK EAKIN HAS WORKED FOR
NOAA, THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND
ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION FOR
OVER 20 YEARS. AND AS I
MENTIONED EARLIER, HE DIRECTS
NOAAS CORAL REEF WATCH
PROGRAM WHICH MONITORS CORAL
REEFS ECOSYSTEMS, VIA
SATELLITE AND IN-WATER
OBSERVATIONS. DR. EAKIN HOLDS
A PHD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
MIAMI AND PUBLISHES ON CORAL
REEF ECOLOGY, ESPECIALLY THE
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON
CORAL REEFS, CORAL BLEACHING,
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION, AND CORAL
HELIOCLIMATOLOGY. HE'S
CO-CHAIRED THE US CORAL REEF
TASK FORCE'S CLIMATE CHANGE
WORKING GROUP, AND HAS
TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS ON
THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
HE'S ALSO BEEN A CONTRIBUTING
AUTHOR ON THE 2014
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON
CLIMATE CHANGES ASSESSMENT
REPORT, IPCC. AND,A CHIEF
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR FOR THE
SUNDANCE AWARD WINNING FILM,
CHASING CORAL. AND WITH THAT,
DR. EAKIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
>>THANK YOU, BRUCE. I'M GLAD
TO BE WITH YOU ALL AGAIN.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE
SPOKEN TO THE -- IT WAS THEN
CLIMATE STEWARDS, NOW PLANET
STEWARDS. AND, REALLY GLAD TO
BE ABLE TO BE HERE AND BE A
PART OF THIS PROGRAM. SO I'LL
BE GIVING YOU A RUNDOWN ON
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH CORAL
BEACHING AROUND THE WORLD AND
SOME TOOLS YOU CAN USE FOR
UNDERSTAND -- HELPING YOUR
STUDENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT'S
GOING ON WITH CORALS, CORAL
BLEACHING, AND OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS, AND
THINGS WE CAN DO ABOUT
STRESSES TO CORAL REEFS. SO
WHAT WE'LL BE DOING FIRST IS
TALKING ABOUT, WHAT IS CORAL
BLEACHING? AND THEN, WE'LL
TALK ABOUT THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN WARMING OCEANS AND THE
INCREASE IN CORAL BLEACHING.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER CORAL BLEACH --
DOES THE FUTURE HOLD. AFTER
THAT, WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT CLASSROOM RESOURCES AND
THIS IS WHERE I'LL GET TO THE
MOVIE, CHASING CORAL. SO WITH
THAT WE'LL MOVE ON INTO THE
FIRST SECTION, INTRODUCTION TO
CORAL BLEACHING AND AS YOU
COME IN WITH QUESTIONS BRUCE
WILL ACTUALLY BE PROVIDING ME
WITH THOSE QUESTIONS IN A
BREAK BETWEEN EACH OF THESE
FIVE SECTIONS. SO FIRST
QUESTION FOR YOU THOUGH IS,
WHAT IS A CORAL? SO I WANT
EVERYBODY TO TELL ME, IS IT AN
ANIMAL? A VEGETABLE? OR A
MINERAL?
>>OKAY. SO THIS IS AN
INTERACTIVE POLL EVERYONE. SO
PLEASE SELECT ON YOUR SCREEN
WHAT YOUR CHOICE IS, AND WE
WILL TALLY THESE IN JUST A
MOMENT.
>>DO YOU PLAY THE JEOPARDY
THEME DURING THESE INTERLUDES?
>>FEEL FREE TO HUM IT IF YOU
LIKE. WE'RE PRETTY FLEX HERE.
BUT IT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD,
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 86 PERCENT AND
WE'VE GOT ONE RINGER HERE
WHO'S CHIMED IN, BUT THAT'S
OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO CLOSE
THE POLL NOW AND I WILL REVEAL
THE ANSWERS. OKAY. SO DO YOU
SEE THE ANSWERS ON YOUR
SCREEN, MARK?
>>I DO. LOOKS LIKE 87 PERCENT
ANIMAL, 5 PERCENT VEGETABLE,
AND 8 PERCENT MINERAL, WHICH
IS PRETTY GOOD. AND, THE
ANSWER IS ACTUALLY, YOU'RE ALL
RIGHT. TURNS OUT THAT IN THE
CASE OF CORALS, THEY ARE
ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, AND
MINERAL. WE SHOULD HAVE PUT
IN ALL OF THE ABOVE IN THERE,
I KIND OF FORGOT THAT, I
PASSED IT ALONG TO YOU BRUCE,
BUT IT'S OKAY, THAT ONE WAS
PRETTY MUCH FOR FUN BUT TO
GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE THAT
BOTH ANIMALS AND PLANTS THAT
MAKE UP THIS CORAL HAVE IN
BUILDING THE CORAL REEF, WHICH
IS THE MINERAL PORTION. SO
WE'LL GET INTO THAT. SO
INSIDE OF THE POLYPS, THE
INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES THAT
MAKE UP CORALS, THESE
INDIVIDUAL POLYPS THAT SORT OF
LOOK LIKE SEA ANEMONES. EACH
ONE INSIDE THE TISSUES OF THE
TENTACLES THEIR MICROSCOPIC
ALGAE. THOSE MICROSCOPIC
ALGAE OR I MAY REFER TO THEM
AS ZOOXANTHELLAE ARE THE ALGAE
THAT GIVE THE CORAL THEIR
FOOD. THEY PHOTOSYNTHESIZE
JUST LIKE ANY PLANT DOES AND
THE COMBINATION OF THE PLANT
AND THE ANIMAL PORTION OF
CORAL IS ABLE TO DEPOSIT THE
SKELETON, MADE OF CALCIUM
CARBONATE OR LIMESTONE, AND
THAT'S THE STRUCTURE THAT
BUILDS THE CORAL AND IN TURN
BUILDS CORAL REEFS. THE
LARGEST LIVING STRUCTURE ON
EARTH AND QUITE VISIBLE FROM
SPACE. SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
CORALS BLEACH? WELL CORAL
BLEACHING IS CAUSED BY STRESS
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
TYPES OF STRESS THAT CAN CAUSE
CORAL BLEACHING, BUT THE MAIN
STRESS AND WHAT WE'RE
CONCERNED ABOUT IS HAPPENING
FROM WARM WATER TEMPERATURES.
-- IS BLEACHED. THAT
IS A LIVING CORAL STILL AND
IT'S NOT AS HEALTHY AS THE ONE
ON THE RIGHT IT STILL HAS ITS
ALGAE, BUT IT IS STILL ALIVE.
IN FACT, THE REASON YOU CAN
TELL IT'S ALIVE IS BECAUSE IT
IS SO NICE AND WHITE. AS SOON
AS A CORAL DIES YOU START
GETTING A DIFFERENCE SORT OF
ALGAE. A SCUZZY, FILAMENTOUS
ALGA GROWING ON THE OUTSIDE OF
THE CORAL AND IT IMMEDIATELY
STARTS GETTING A VERY UGLY
COLOR AND TEXTURE TO IT.
WE'LL SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF
THAT IN A FEW MINUTES, BUT THE
TISSUE OF THE CORAL ON THIS
ONE ON THE LEFT IS COMPLETELY
CLEAR, THERE ARE NO ALGAE IN
THE WAY WHICH WILL LET
NORMALLY PROVIDE CORALS WITH
THEIR COLOR AND YOU'RE SEEING
THAT WHITE LIMESTONE SKELETON
UNDERNEATH. WELL, YOU CAN
ACTUALLY SEE IT IF YOU LOOK ON
THE RIGHT IT THAT THERE ARE
SOME LITTLE RIDGES AND EDGES
WHERE THEIR LESS OF THE
ZOOXANTHELLAE OR THE
PHOTOSYMBIOTIC ALGAE PRESENT
HERE. AND SO, THEIR AREAS
WHERE IN FACT, THIS CORAL MAY
BE A LITTLE BLEACHED ON THE
RIGHT STILL. SO, WHAT KIND OF
STRESS WILL CAUSE A CORAL TO
CAUSE -- STRESS A CORAL AND
CAUSE BLEACHING? BRUCE, THIS
IS THE NEXT OF THE QUESTIONS.
LET SEE WHAT PEOPLE THINK?
>>OKAY. THIS IS TAKING A
LITTLE BIT LONGER. SOME FOLKS
A LITTLE BIT MORE UNSURE OF
SOLVE THE ANSWERS, THESE ARE
COMING IN PRETTY WELL. JUST
GIVE IT A FEW MORE SECONDS
THAN WE'LL CLOSE OUT THE POLL.
ALL RIGHT. JUST ABOUT 90
PERCENT OF FOLKS VOTING.
>>VERY GOOD FOLKS.
TOO MUCH NUTRIENTS, THERE IS A
CONTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENTS TO
BLEACHING, BUT NUTRIENTS ON
THEIR OWN WILL NOT CAUSE
CORALS TO BLEACH. THERE WAS
SOMEBODY WHO SAID VITAMIN D.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET
VITAMIN D FROM SUNLIGHT, BUT
AS FAR AS I KNOW IT'S NOT
IMPORTANT FOR CORALS. OKAY.
SO GOING ON THE HIGH WATER
TEMPERATURE IS THE BIGGIE THAT
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT. HIGH
LIGHT LEVELS OR HIGH UV LEVELS
GO ALONG WITH THE HIGH
TEMPERATURES, TYPICALLY. YOU
CAN GET SOMETHING SIMILAR TO
BLEACHING AT COLD
TEMPERATURES, VERY OFTEN
THOUGH THIS IS THE CORALS WILL
ACTUALLY JUST GO STRAIGHT FROM
HEALTHY TO DEAD IN A SHORT
AMOUNT OF TIME IN REALLY LOW
TEMPERATURES. YOU CAN GET
SOME LOCALIZED THINGS LIKE,
LOW SALINITY FROM RUNOFF OR
REALLY HEAVY RAIN THAT'S
LOCALIZED IN AN AREA, BUT
THESE ARE FINE SCALED, THESE
ARE WITHIN INDIVIDUAL BAYS.
YOU ALSO GET SOME BLEACHING
THAT CAN OCCUR WHEN THERE'S
EXPOSURE TO AIR DURING LOW
TIDES, BUT IF THAT HAPPENS FOR
TOO LONG -- CORAL
WILL DIE DIRECTLY. SO WE'RE
GOING TO TALK ABOUT ARE THOSE
LARGE SCALE, HIGH WATER
TEMPERATURE EVENTS THAT HAVE
BEEN CAUSING CORAL BLEACHING
AROUND THE WORLD. SO WE'LL
GET TO HOW THIS WORKS IN THE
SATELLITES IN JUST A SECOND,
BUT GENERALLY YOU'RE LOOKING
AT WATER TEMPERATURES THAT ARE
1 OR 2 DEGREES CELSIUS OR
AROUND 2 TO 3 AND A HALF
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT ABOVE THE
SUMMER AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
THAT CAUSES THE STRESS TO
CORALS THAT CAUSES BLEACHING
TO KICK IN AND WE USE
SATELLITES, NOAA SATELLITES,
AS WELL AS, COOPERATING
INTERNATIONAL PARTNER
SATELLITES TO DEVELOP THE
PRODUCTS THAT WE USE ALL
AROUND THE WORLD. NOAA
SATELLITES ARE MEASURING OCEAN
TEMPERATURE AND FROM THAT
WE'RE DEVELOPING THESE
PRODUCTS THAT GIVE INFORMATION
ON HEAT STRESS. SO WITH THAT,
WE'LL OPEN IT UP IF THERE ARE
ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR, BRUCE
HAVE YOU SEEN ANY?
>>NO. I THINK YOU'RE DOING A
GOOD JOB. WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED
ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS YET.
I'D SAY KEEP GOING.
>>ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GET BACK
TO QUESTIONS IN JUST A MINUTE
THEN. SO WARMING OCEAN, MORE
BLEACHING. ONE OF THE THINGS
WE'VE BEEN SEEING THAT'S BEEN
ONE OF THE LARGEST DRIVERS OF
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AROUND
THE WORLD HAS BEEN THE
INCREASE IN CARBON DIOXIDE IN
THE ATMOSPHERE. THAT
INCREASING CARBON DIOXIDE
DRIVEN BY MAN'S ACTIVITIES HAS
BEEN MEASURED NOW SINCE THE
LATE 1950S. SINCE SOMETHING
CALLED THE INTERNATIONAL
GEOPHYSICAL YEAR AND SINCE
THAT TIME THE CARBON DIOXIDE
IN THAT ATMOSPHERE HAS GONE
THROUGH ITS CHARACTERISTIC
SEASONAL CYCLE EVERY YEAR AND
IT'S BEEN RISING AND RISING.
WE'RE NOW AT A POINT TO --
WE'RE ABOVE 40 PARTS PER
MILLION CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE,
AND WE CAN EXPECT TO BE THERE
FOR THE REST OF ANY OF OUR
LIVES. THAT CO2 HAS BEEN
GROWING FASTER AS WELL, SOME
YEARS ITS HIGHER THAN OTHERS.
YOU CAN SEE THE GROWTH RATE ON
THE LEFT. WE'VE HAD A REALLY
HIGH, IN FACT, RECORD HIGH
GROWTH RATE THAT'S GOING ON
(INAUDIBLE.) AT THE SAME TIME
WHAT THE CO2 INCREASE HAS DONE
IS TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURES
OF THE OCEANS. IT'S ALSO
RAISING THE TEMPERATURE IN THE
AIR AND THAT'S MOSTLY WHAT YOU
HEAR ABOUT IN REFERENCE TO
GLOBAL WARMING. BUT IN
ADDITION TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE AIR WHERE MOST PEOPLE PAY
ATTENTION, THE OCEAN
TEMPERATURES ARE RISING AND IN
FACT HAVE RISEN QUITE A BIT
AND GLOBALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT
OCEAN TEMPERATURES THAT ARE
ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF A
DEGREE WARMER THAN WHAT THEY
WERE BACK AT THE EARLY PART OF
THE LAST CENTURY. IN FACT, IF
YOU LOOK AT THE MOST RECENT
YEARS THE BLACK IS 2017,
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE NOW, WE'VE
JUST BARELY STILL THE SECOND
WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. IF
YOU LOOK AT THIS, YOU'LL SEE
2014 WAS THE WARMEST YEAR ON
RECORD THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY
2015 THAT COMPLETELY ECLIPSED
ANY PREVIOUS YEAR. 2016
STARTED OUT WAY ABOVE ANY AND
STILL ENDED UP THE WARMEST
YEAR ON RECORD. AND, 2017
STARTED OUT AS THE SECOND YEAR
IT'S BEEN RUNNING AS THE
SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD
AND PROBABLY IS GOING TO END
UP SOMEWHERE IN HERE AROUND
THE THIRD WARMEST YEAR ON
RECORD, BUT WE'LL SEE. WE
STILL HAVE A FEW MONTHS OF
DATA YET TO COME IN, THE DATA
TYPICALLY COME IN ABOUT THE
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH FOR THE
PREVIOUS MONTH, SO WE'RE STILL
WAITING ON THE INFORMATION ON
OCTOBER. NOAA HAS SATELLITES,
AS WELL AS, THE NUMBER OF
PARTNER AGENCIES AND OTHER
COUNTRIES HAVE SATELLITES THAT
MEASURE A VARIETY OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS
AROUND THE WORLD. MOST OF
THIS IS USED FOR WEATHER AND
YOUR USED TO SEEING THESE DATA
COMING IN AND BEING USED FOR
WEATHER FORECAST, BUT THEIR
TWO CLASSES OF SATELLITES.
ONE, ARE POLAR ORBITING
SATELLITES, THESE GO FROM POLE
TO POLE AS THE EARTH ROTATES
UNDERNEATH. AND SO, THEY
-- AREA OF THE EARTH.
IN FACT, THE POLAR ORBITERS
THAT WE'RE USING GO OVER ANY
SPOT TWICE A DAY. THEN WE
ALSO HAVE THE GEOSTATIONARY
WEATHER SATELLITES. THESE ARE
THE ONES THAT ARE USUALLY
PROVIDING YOU WITH THE
PICTURES OF WHERE THE
HURRICANES ARE, FOR EXAMPLE.
THESE SIT IN ONE SPOT OVER THE
EQUATOR AT ALL TIMES AND GIVE
YOU A LOT OF PICTURES
THROUGHOUT THE DAY OF THAT
PORTION OF THE GLOBE. IT
TAKES FIVE OF THOSE AROUND THE
WORLD TO COVER THE ENTIRE
PLANET WITH GEOSTATIONARY
DATA. AND SO, WE'RE USING A
COMBINATION OF ALL OF THOSE
AND WE'RE USING THEM TO
MEASURE OCEAN TEMPERATURES.
SO LET'S GO FOR ANOTHER POLL
HERE. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS
THE TEMPERATURE THAT THE OCEAN
HAS TO REACH WHEN CORALS START
TO BLEACH? BRUCE. YOU HAVE
YOUR OPTIONS BEFORE YOU.
>>OKAY. A LOT OF THINKING
GOING ON HERE.
>>I'M NOT SURPRISED, THIS ONE
TAKES A MINUTE. THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE
WON'T HAVE IN THE BACK OF
THEIR HEADS.
>>WELL, WHILE FOLKS ARE TRYING
TO FIGURE THIS OUT, THERE WAS
A QUESTION FROM ONE OF YOUR
EARLIER GRAPHS, WHICH WE COULD
GET BACK TO IF YOU WANT.
WHICH WAS WHY DO THE OCEANS
APPEAR TO HEAT UP IN ONE OF
YOUR GRAPHS DURING THE 1940S?
>>THERE ARE NORMAL NATURAL
CYCLES, OSCILLATIONS OF
TEMPERATURE THAT OCCUR AND, IN
FACT, SOME OF THESE THAT ARE
DRIVING A LARGE PART OF THE
CLIMATE ARE BASED ON CHANGES
THAT OCCUR PRIMARILY IN THE
PACIFIC OCEAN OR AT LEAST THE
-- HAS FOR SEVERAL
DECADES. SOMETHING THAT USED
TO BE KNOWN, AS THE PACIFIC
DECADAL OSCILLATION AND IS NOW
MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE
INTERDECADAL PACIFIC
VARIABILITY. LEADS TO SEVERAL
DECADES OF, YOU KNOW, ABOUT
THREE DECADES OF WARMER THAN
NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOLLOWED
BY A FEW DECADES OF COOLER
THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND
THAT'S A NORMAL OSCILLATION.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT
OSCILLATION IS NOW BEING SUPER
IMPOSED ON A RISING BASELINE
TEMPERATURE AND SO IT'S BECOME
MORE LIKE A STAIR STEP. SO IN
FACT, THE TEMPERATURES WERE
HIGHER IN THAT PERIOD BACK IN
THE'40S, THEY COOLED BACK DOWN
AND THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED
COOLER UNTIL THE NEXT WARMING,
BUT INSTEAD THEY STARTED
WARMING AND THEN THEY WARMED
EVEN FASTER. THE PROBLEM IS
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE BACK IN ONE
OF THOSE EXTREME WARMING
PERIODS AND THAT'S WHY THE
TEMPERATURES ARE GOING UP SO
MUCH SO FAST.
>>THANK YOU, MARK. ALL RIGHT.
SO CLOSE THE POLL NOW AND HERE
ARE THE RESULTS.
>>-- BETWEEN 80
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND 85
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THAT SAID
27 AND 29 DEGREES. SO KEEPING
THAT IN MIND, 27 AND 29
DEGREES C, LET'S TAKE A LOOK
AT THE GRAPH AND WHAT DO WE
SEE? FOR THE MOST PART, FROM
ABOUT 27 TO 31 DEGREES, THAT'S
WHEN YOU HAVE THE MAJORITY
YOUR BLEACHING. SO PEOPLE
WERE PRETTY CLOSE TO DEAD ON
THERE, 27 IS ABOUT AT THE LOW
END OF IT AND 29 IS RIGHT IN
THE CENTER, 31 YOUR PRETTY
MUCH IN THE MIDDLE OF WHEN
BLEACHING OCCURS. BY THE TIME
YOU GET TO 33 DEGREES MOST
CORALS AROUND THE WORLD ARE
SEEING TEMPERATURES THAT
EITHER WAY ABOVE WHAT THEY
NORMALLY SEE OR YOUR LOOKING
AT SOME OF THE PLACES AROUND
THE WORLD WHERE THE
TEMPERATURES ARE ALWAYS QUITE
WARM, LIKE THE ARABIAN GULF,
THE ARABIAN SEA, EXCUSE ME.
THE ARABIAN SEA IS A VERY WARM
AREA AND SO IT'S TEMPERATURES,
IT'S BASELINE TEMPERATURES,
ARE MUCH HIGHER AND SO
BLEACHING HAPPENS EVEN UP TO
AROUND 33 DEGREES AND ABOVE.
SO THE TEMPERATURE IN WHICH
CORALS BLEACH REALLY IS
DEPENDENT ON THE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AT THAT LOCATION
AND HOW MUCH STRESS IT TAKES
ABOVE. AND IT NORMALLY TAKES
ABOUT ONE-DEGREE CELSIUS OR
ABOUT ONE POINT EIGHT DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT ABOVE THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF THE WARMEST
SUMMER MONTH AT THAT LOCATION
FOR CORALS TO BLEACH. AND IN
FACT, THAT RELATIONSHIP IS
BORN OUT QUITE WELL WHEN WE GO
THROUGH AND LOOK AT DIFFERENT
AREAS AROUND THE WORLD. WHEN
WE LOOK AT OUR PRODUCTS OF
HEAT STRESS, WHICH YOU'RE
SEEING ON THE LOWER PANELS
THERE, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE BLEACHING WHICH IS IN THE
UPPER PANELS, YOU'RE LOOKING
AT WHAT HAPPENED IN 1998, IN
2002 AND MORE RECENTLY
-- THAT IS THE GREAT
BARRIER REEF OF AUSTRALIA,
YOU'RE SEEING. AND YOU CAN
SEE UP HERE DURING THE 2016
EVENT, THAT'S JUST BEEN GOING
ON. MY APOLOGIES. 2016 EVENT
WE HAVE THE WARMEST -- THE
HIGHEST BLEACHING UP IN THIS
NORTHERN SECTION AND THAT'S
RIGHT WHERE THE WARMEST
TEMPERATURES OR THE WARMEST
TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES WERE
BEING FELT. SO THERE WAS A
LOT OF HEAT STRESS GOING ON UP
THERE. IF YOU LOOK IN
CONTRAST TO THE 1998 EVENT,
WHICH REALLY THE BLEACHING WAS
NOT NEARLY AS SEVERE, BUT WAS
MOSTLY IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT
BARRIER REEFS, YOU SEE THAT'S
WHERE THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES
WERE, AS WELL. SO THIS IS
FROM A PAPER WE HAD COME OUT
IN AND WAS ON THE COVER OF
NATURE ON 16TH OF MARCH THIS
YEAR, TALKING ABOUT THIS 2016
GREAT BARRIER REEF BLEACHING
EVENT. WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT
THAT IN A FEW MINUTES. SO
WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SEEING
IS SOME GRAPHICS WHICH ARE A
COMBINATION OF TWO OF OUR
PRODUCTS. OUR HOT SPOT
PRODUCT AND OUR DEGREE HEATING
-- AND THAT IS WHAT
YOU SEE IN THE YELLOW ALL OVER
HERE. ANYTIME THE HOTSPOTS
ARE PRESENT, ANYTIME THEY'RE
ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE
WARMEST SUMMER MONTH AT THAT
LOCATION, YOU KNOW THAT YOUR
TEMPERATURES ARE WARM ENOUGH
TO CORAL BLEACHING BECOMES A
POSSIBILITY. NOW, THE OTHER
PRODUCT WE USE, THE DEGREE
HEATING -- PRODUCT IS AN
ACCUMULATED HEAT STRESS OVER A
PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. AND BY
LOOKING AT THAT ACCUMULATION
OF HEAT STRESS, SO HOW WARM IT
IS AND FOR HOW LONG. WE CAN
DO A GOOD JOB OF PREDICTING
WHERE CORALS BLEACH. SO ALL
OF THE AREAS -- I'M NOT SURE
WHY THAT HAPPENED. LET ME
BACK UP. OKAY. ANYTIME YOU
SEE THIS ORANGE, THAT'S WHEN
YOU'RE IN A BLEACHING WARNING.
THAT MEANS WE'VE ACCUMULATED
ENOUGH HEAT STRESS THAT CORALS
MAY START BLEACHING SOON. THE
RED COLORS, ALERT LEVEL ONE IS
WHEN CORALS ARE LIKELY TO
BLEACH IN THOSE LOCATIONS AND
THE DARKER RED IS ALERT LEVEL
2 AND THAT'S WHEN THERE'S
LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU'RE GOING
TO START SEEING CORALS DYING
IN THOSE LOCATIONS. SO LET'S
WALK THROUGH THE RECENT GLOBAL
CORAL BLEACHING EVENT. THE
THIRD GLOBAL CORAL BLEACHING
STARTED IN 2014. THIS EVENT
STARTED IN THE WESTERN
PACIFIC, IN GUAM AND THE
MARIANAS. AND, REMEMBER GUAM,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY A PART OF
THE US. IT'S ONE OF OUR
TERRITORIES IN THE WESTERN
PACIFIC BECAUSE WE'LL TALK
ABOUT THE BLEACHING IN GUAM
MORE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.
THE BLEACHING STARTED IN GUAM
AND THE MARIANAS IN 2014.
THEN, IT PICKED UP IN HAWAII,
ESPECIALLY UP IN THE
NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
AND THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA
MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT,
STARTED SEEING SOME BLEACHING
IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND THEN
LATER ON IN THE YEARS, THE SUN
WAS MORE OVER THE EQUATOR, WE
STARTED GETTING BLEACHING IN
THE MARSHALL ISLANDS. WE
MOVED -- WE SAW EVEN
MORE BLEACHING AND HERE THE
EVENT WENT GLOBAL. WE SAW
BLEACHING FIRST IN SOUTH
PACIFIC, PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND
THE SOLOMON ISLANDS, FIJI,
AMERICAN SAMOAS AND
INDEPENDENT SAMOAS, IN THE
CHAGOS OR BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN
TERRITORY, THE MALDIVES IN THE
SOUTHERN RED SEA. THEN, THE
EL NINO KICKED IN, WE STARTED
SEEING BLEACHING IN KIRIBATI,
IN PANAMA AND THEN LATER IN
THE YEAR BACK IN HAWAII AGAIN.
THIS TIME IN THE MAIN HAWAIIAN
ISLANDS AND ALL THROUGHOUT THE
CARIBBEAN. AND IF IT WASN'T
BAD ENOUGH THAT WE'VE NOW HAD
THE SECOND GLOBAL BLEACHING
EVENT ON RECORD, IT CONTINUED
AND GOT WORSE IN 2016. IN
2016, THERE WAS EVEN MORE
INTENSE HEAT STRESS IN MANY
AREAS. GREAT BARRIER REEF HAD
IT'S WORSE BLEACHING ON
RECORD. THE BLEACHING ACROSS
THE INDIAN OCEAN WAS QUITE
SEVERE. WE AGAIN HAD
BLEACHING IN PARTS OF THE
WESTERN PACIFIC. KIRIBATI
ACTUALLY HAD HEAT STRESS AND
SOME OF THOSE CORALS WERE
EXPOSED TO HIGH HEAT FOR AN
ENTIRE YEAR. AND, IN FACT,
THERE WAS AN ISLAND DOWN IN
THAT AREA THAT HAD 98 PERCENT
CORAL MORTALITY. WE ALSO HAD
BLEACHING THAT WENT ON IN THE
CARIBBEAN AND FINALLY, AS WE
MOVE FORWARD INTO 2017, THE
EVENT CONTINUES A LITTLE BIT
LONGER. BACK INTO THE GREAT
BARRIER REEF AGAIN, A BIT IN
AMERICAN SAMOA AND THE LITTLE
ISLAND OF MANUA. WE THOUGHT
THE BLEACHING WAS GOING TO
CONTINUE IN THAT GLOBAL
PATTERN, BUT AS IT STARTED IN
THE INDIAN OCEAN IT BLEACHED
IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF
MADAGASCAR AND THE REST OF THE
INDIAN OCEAN DIDN'T KICK IN.
AND SO, THIS WAS QUITE GOOD WE
DID NOT HAVE THE CONTINUATION
OF THIS AS A GLOBAL EVENT.
NOW WE HAVE HAD BLEACHING IN
2017, AGAIN IN GUAM. IT'S
STARTING IN MICRONESIA, WE'VE
SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF BLEACHING
STRESS IN THE NORTHWEST
HAWAIIAN -- OF HEAT
STRESS AND REPORTS OF
BLEACHING THROUGHOUT THE
SOUTHERN TO SOUTHEASTERN
CARIBBEAN. WHAT'S GONE ON IN
2014 TO 2017 HAS, IN FACT,
BEEN THE GLOBAL -- THE LONGEST
GLOBAL BLEACHING EVENT EVER,
LASTING A FULL THREE YEARS.
IT'S ONLY BEEN A ONE-YEAR
EVENT IN 1998 AND IN 2010, SO
THIS THREE-YEAR EVENT WAS
ESPECIALLY BAD. IT WAS THE
MOST WIDE-SPREAD BLEACHING
EVENT AND IN FACT, OVER 75
PERCENT OF REEFS AROUND THE
WORLD, BLEACHED. YOU ADD UP
THE AREA OF ALL OF THOSE REEFS
AND IT'S GREATER THAN THE SIZE
OF WASHINGTON STATE. IF YOU
ADD UP THE AREA WHERE YOU'VE
HAD CORALS EXPOSED TO THE HEAT
STRESS THAT CAUSES THEM TO
DIE, THAT'S BIGGER THAN THE
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA. AND
BECAUSE THIS WAS A LONG-TERM
EVENT, MORE THAN HALF OF REEF
AREAS WERE EXPOSED TWICE.
GUAM'S BEEN EXPOSED FOUR OUT
OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND ALL
REEF AREAS AROUND THE WORLD
RECEIVE SOME DEGREE OF HEAT
STRESS. ALONG WITH THAT, WE
HAVE SEEN THAT A LARGE
PERCENTAGE OF AREAS AROUND THE
WORLD WERE SUFFERING FROM HEAT
STRESS. THE BLACK DIAMONDS
HERE ARE SHOWING YOU WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET ANY -- OR
AMOUNT OF AREA THAT HAS HEAT
STRESS AT ALERT LEVELS ONE AND
TWO. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE
COMBINATION OF THIS THREE-YEAR
EVENT WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE
PREVIOUS RECORD IN '98, EVEN
2016 ALONE NOSES OUT 1998.
AND THE SAME THING IF YOU LOOK
DOWN HERE IN THE RED, WHICH IS
JUST ALERT LEVEL TWO, THAT
HIGHEST LEVEL OF STRESS. 2016
IS A BIT HIGHER THAN 1998 AND
THE COMBINATION OF THE THREE
YEARS IS MUCH HIGHER. SO THIS
WAS A TREMENDOUS DAMAGING
EVENT AND WE'RE STILL
COLLECTING FROM -- INFORMATION
FROM PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
ON JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT
CAUSED. WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THESE REEFS, THIS IS THAT
SCUZZY ALGAE I WAS TALKING
ABOUT WHEN THE CORAL DIES IT
GETS COVERED WITH THIS AND
LOOKS LIKE A BARREN WASTELAND.
IN FACT, THIS IMAGE FROM THE
GREAT BARRIER REEFS BLEACHING
IN 2016 BY JUSTIN MARSHALL AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND,
THE LACK OF FISH WAS AN
INDICATION THAT THERE WAS
COMPLETE ECOSYSTEM COLLAPSE.
IN FACT, IN 2016 THE NORTHERN
PART OF THE GREAT BARRIER
REEFS MANY AREAS HAD OVER 50
PERCENT MORTALITY, MOST HAD
OVER 85 TO 90 PERCENT
BLEACHING. AND, IF YOU LOOK
AT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF AS A
WHOLE, 29 PERCENT OF THE LIVE
CORAL ON THE GREAT BARRIER
REEF DIED IN 2016. THIS HAS
BEEN THE MOST EXTENSIVE EVENT,
IT HAS ENDED. IT ENDED AS A
GLOBAL EVENT IN MAY OF 2017,
BUT BLEACHING PROBLEMS STILL
CONTINUE. AS I MENTIONED A
MINUTE AGO, GUAM HAS SEEN FOUR
OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS
-- WE'RE STARTING TO
SEE BLEACHING IN MICRONESIA
AND WE'RE CONCERNED IT'S GOING
TO GO BACK INTO THE MARSHALL
ISLANDS, AGAIN. AND AS I
MENTIONED, SOUTHWESTERN AND
SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN HAS
BEEN EXPERIENCING HEAT STRESS
AND THAT IS STILL GROWING
RIGHT NOW. SO WITH THAT,
WE'LL GO BACK TO ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU HAVE.
>>AND OH BOY, WE HAVE SOME
EXCELLENT QUESTIONS, MARK.
>>GOOD.
>>ALL RIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW,
ONE QUESTION -- WELL WE HAVE
ONE QUESTION ABOUT OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION, BUT WE'LL LEAVE
THAT UNTIL A LITTLE BIT LATER.
>>GOOD.
>>ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE
HAVE IS, WHEN DID SCIENTIST
START RECORDING CORAL
BLEACHING EVENTS?
>>THE FIRST RECORDED
WIDESPREAD CORAL BLEACHING
EVENT WAS IN 1983. IT WAS A
PART OF THE 1982, '83 EL NINO,
AND IF YOU NOTICE A PATTERN
HERE, THIS FIRST MAJOR
BLEACHING WAS IN 1983
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT EL NINO.
THE 1998 FIRST GLOBAL
-- ANOTHER MAJOR ONE,
THOSE TWO ARE CONSIDERED THE
TWO BIGGEST ON RECORD. 2010
WAS A MODERATE SCALE EL NINO,
IT WASN'T THAT STRONG AND
2015, 2016 THERE WAS ANOTHER
EL NINO THAT LOOKED LIKE IT
WAS GOING TO BE REALLY LARGE
BUT PROBABLY IS ONLY ABOUT THE
FIFTH LARGEST ON RECORD, BUT
BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF
BACKGROUND WARMING THAT'S BEEN
HAPPENING, THAT WARMING WAS
ENOUGH TO PUSH IT -- THE REEFS
OVER THE TOP AND CAUSE THIS
THREE-YEAR EVENT. SO IT
REALLY IS A NEW THING.
LOCALIZED BLEACHING IN
INDIVIDUAL BAYS WAS KNOWN
PREVIOUSLY, BUT ANY SORT OF
LARGE SCALE BLEACHING LIKE
THIS IS REALLY KNOWN ONLY
SINCE THE EARLY 1980S.
>>OKAY. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU
TWO BACK TO BACK QUESTIONS AND
THEN WE CAN GO BACK TO YOUR
PRESENTATION. THE FIRST ONE,
BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF CORAL
BLEACHING THAT YOU'VE SEEN
CONTINUOUSLY, HAVE SCIENTIST
PLACED A POTENTIAL OR POSSIBLE
ESTIMATED TIMELINE FOR LIFE
LEFT IN THE GREAT BARRIER
REEF? THAT'S SORT OF PART
ONE. AND THE SECOND ONE IS:
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR CORAL
BLEACHING TO BRING FORTH NEW
LIFE SIMILAR TO WHAT FOREST
FIRES DO IN THOSE KINDS OF
ECOSYSTEMS?
>>YES. WELL, I'LL HIT THE
SECOND ONE FIRST BECAUSE THE
PROBLEM IS IF CORAL BLEACHING
KEEPS HAPPENING OVER AND OVER,
IT'S LIKE HAVING FOREST FIRES
COMING THROUGH IN AREAS WHERE
A FOREST FIRE HAS ALREADY COME
THROUGH. SO IT REALLY IS A
PROBLEM. YOU DO HAVE NEW LIKE
THAT CAN SPRING FORTH
AFTERWARDS. WE'LL GET TO THAT
IN THE RECOVERY SECTION IN
JUST A MINUTE. THE CONCERN WE
HAVE IS THAT AS TEMPERATURES
CONTINUE TO RISE THAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE LOSING A LOT OF
CORAL REEFS. I DON'T RECALL
EXACTLY WHEN THE DATE EXPECTED
IS FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF,
BUT BECAUSE OF THE RISING
TEMPERATURES, EITHER FROM
CLIMATE MODELS OR EVEN JUST
WATCHING THE TRAJECTORY OF
TEMPERATURES FROM
OBSERVATIONS, YOU FIND THAT
SOMETIME AROUND 2050, 90
PERCENT OF THE CORAL REEFS
AROUND THE WORLD ARE GOING TO
BE SUFFERING FROM THE KIND OF
HEAT STRESS THAT CAUSES
BLEACHING ON AN ANNUAL BASIS
AND THAT'S JUST NOT
SUSTAINABLE. SO WE'LL TALK
ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE
AND IN FACT, WE'LL TALK ABOUT
THAT SECOND QUESTION IN THIS
SECTION ON, AFTER CORALS
BLEACH. SO CAN CORALS
RECOVER? YES. AND THAT IS
THE GOOD NEWS IF THE HEAT
STRESS DOESN'T LAST TOO LONG
AND ISN'T TOO SEVERE, THEN
CORALS CAN SURVIVE. SOME
CORALS ARE BETTER ABLE OF
SURVIVE BY EATING MORE
PLANKTON, THERE LESS DEPENDENT
ON THE ZOOXANTHELLAE FOR THEIR
FOOD SOURCE. OTHER CORALS ARE
MORE RESISTANT TO BLEACHING,
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE AN ABILITY
TO WITHSTAND HIGHER
TEMPERATURES AND SO THEY ALSO
DON'T BLEACH AS MUCH OR AS
HARD. AND SOME CORALS
-- IMPORTANT THINGS
THAT WE'RE LEARNING THROUGH
THESE BLEACHING EVENTS ARE
WHICH ARE THE ONES ARE MORE
RESISTANT? WHICH ARE THE ONES
THAT CAN RESPOND MORE QUICKLY?
SO LOOKING AT THIS, THE
ZOOXANTHELLAE CAN GROW BACK.
MOST OF WHAT HAPPENS IS ITS
REPRODUCTION OF THE ALGAE
REMAINING IN THE CORALS AND
WHAT GROWS BACK TEND TO BE
ALGAE THAT ARE MOST ABLE TO
RESIST HIGH TEMPERATURES
BECAUSE LESS OF THEM ARE
ACTUALLY EJECTED BY THE CORALS
DURING THE BLEACHING EVENT.
AND SO, THESE MORE RESISTANT
ALGAE TEND TO BE THE ONES WHO
BOUNCE BACK FIRST, BUT THEY
TEND TO BE LESS PRODUCTIVE SO
OVER TIME THE CORAL WILL SHIFT
FROM THOSE MORE RESISTANT ONES
BACK TO THE MOST PRODUCTIVE
ONES, LEAVING THEM AT RISK FOR
THE NEXT WARM EVENT HAPPENS.
BUT YOU CAN HAVE CONDITIONS
WHERE BLEACHING OCCURS THAT IS
NOT TOO SEVERE, AND YOU START
SEEING THE RECOVERY OF COLOR
IN CORALS USUALLY, A FEW WEEKS
TO A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THE
OCEAN COOLS. HOWEVER,
-- LIKE IF YOU LOOK
AT THIS YOU'LL SEE WHILE SOME
OF THIS AREA IS GROWING BACK
NICELY, YOU'LL ALSO HAVE ALGAE
GROWING OVER SOME DEAD AREAS
ON THOSE COLONIES. SO IT'S
SOMETHING THAT CAN -- PART OF
THE CORAL MAY RECOVER OR SOME
CORALS MAY RECOVER AND OTHERS
MAY NOT. SO WHAT HAPPENS IF
THEY DON'T? IF THE STRESS IS
TOO SEVERE, CORALS WILL DIE ON
THEIR OWN, IMMEDIATELY. IF
IT'S TOO LONG LASTING, THE
CORALS WILL BE WEAKENED
BECAUSE THEY'VE LOST -- IN
LOSING THOSE ZOOXANTHELLAE,
THEY'VE LOST THEIR PRIMARY
SOURCE OF FOOD. THEY'RE ALSO
INJURING THEMSELVES AS THEY DO
THIS, SO THERE'S DAMAGE TO THE
CELLS WHEN THEY EJECT THE
ALGAE. SO SOME POLYPS MAY
DIE, PORTIONS OF COLONIES MAY
DIE, ENTIRE COLONIES MAY DIE.
IF CORALS DIE THAN THE REEF
CAN GROW BACK, AND THIS GOES
BACK TO THAT FOREST FIRE
ANALOGY, BUT WHAT TENDS TO
HAPPEN IS YOU START GETTING
REGROWTH OF THE FAST-GROWING
CORALS IN A DECADE OR TWO, BUT
THE SLOW GROWING CORALS THAT
-- TAKE 100 YEARS OR
MORE TO GROW BACK. AND SO,
THAT CAN BE A VERY SLOW
PROCESS. SO WHAT ELSE CAN
HEAT STRESS DO TO CORALS? SO
IT'S BACK TIME FOR ME TO ASK
YOU A QUESTION. WHAT CAN
HAPPEN TO CORALS? IT'S
SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENS WITH
PEOPLE, WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE
WHEN THEY ARE HIGHLY STRESSED?
>>OKAY. THE POLLS ARE OPEN.
>>SO DO PEOPLE WHO ARE
STRESSED GAIN WEIGHT? DO THEY
GET SICK OR DO THEY TURN
ORANGE?
>>I GUESS IT DEPENDS IF
THEY'RE STRESS EATERS OR NOT.
>>WELL, THAT IS TRUE. WELL
WE'LL SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE
ANSWER THAT WAY.
>>OKAY. WE GOT JUST ABOUT
EVERYONE COME IN, JUST ANOTHER
SECOND. MAKE YOUR FINAL
CHOICES, FINAL SELECTIONS.
ALL RIGHT.
>>OKAY. THANKS BRUCE. WELL,
NO ONE PUT GAIN WEIGHT. OH,
INTERESTING SPELLING THERE,
BRUCE.
>>OH, SORRY.
>>THERE ARE STRESS EATERS AND
YES, GAIN WEIGHT IS SOMETHING
THAT CAN HAPPEN. I SEE SOME
PEOPLE HAD FUN WITH TURNING
ORANGE. I'VE HEARD OF
JAUNDICE TURNING YELLOW AND
I'VE CERTAINLY HEARD OF
TURNING BLUE, BUT I'VE NEVER
HEARD OF TURNING ORANGE,
UNLESS YOU EAT WAY TOO MANY
CARROTS. MOST OF THE PEOPLE
-- THE PROBLEM YOU RUN INTO IS
THEY GET SICK AND THAT HAPPENS
TO CORALS, AS WELL. SO WHEN
CORALS ARE STRESSED, NOT ONLY
DO THEY BLEACH, BUT THEY WILL
TEND TO GET SICK. THEY'RE
MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE
AND IN FACT, HERE'S AN IMAGE
AND YOU'LL SEE TWO THINGS
GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS
WAS DURING THE 2005 BLEACHING
EVENT IN THE CARIBBEAN. THIS
CORAL THROUGH TIME, YOU CAN
SEE GETTING PALER AND PALER AS
THE BLEACHING OCCURS. THIS
OVER THE COURSE OF JUST A FEW
WEEKS FROM AUGUST 11TH, TO
SEPTEMBER THE 6TH, --
IN THIS CASE A SPREADING
DISEASE CALLED, BLACK BAN
DISEASE, IS SPREADING ACROSS
THAT COLONY. THE HIGH
TEMPERATURES CAN STRESS THE
CORAL, CAN ALSO MAKE THE
PATHOGENS GROW FASTER AND SO
YOU SEE A COMBINATION HERE OF
BOTH BLEACHING AND DISEASE.
BLEACHING CAN KILL PARTS OF
COLONIES -- I MEAN SORRY --
DISEASES DEPENDING ON THE TYPE
OF DISEASE CAN KILL PARTS OF
COLONIES OR IT CAN KILL ENTIRE
COLONIES OF CORAL. SO DO WE
HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AT
THIS POINT?
>>OH GOSH, YES. LOTS MORE
HAVE BEEN COMING IN.
>>OKAY. LET'S HIT A FEW KEY
ONES THAT ARE APPROPRIATE TO
THIS SECTION.
>>RIGHT. SO WHY DON'T WE ASK
THIS, IS THERE A TIPPING POINT
OF PERCENT BLEACHING AT WHICH
A CORAL REEF CANNOT RECOVER?
>>SO EVEN IF A CORAL REEF IS
COMPLETELY BLEACHED, IF YOU
KNOW, ALL OF THE CORALS ON THE
REEF BLEACHED, IF IT'S A
SHORT-TERM EVENT THERE'S A
CHANCE THAT THOSE CORALS COULD
ALL RECOVER. NOW, THAT'S
BLEACHING NOW LET'S GO TO
MORTALITY. IF ALL THE CORALS
ON A REEF DIE, THERE IS THE
POSSIBILITY THAT NEW CORALS
CAN RECRUIT IN FROM ELSEWHERE
THROUGH SEXUAL REPRODUCTION.
THE LARVAE WILL ACTUALLY BE
CARRIED IN THE WATER AND COULD
COME IN AND START TO SEE
RECOVERY ON THAT REEF. WE
HAVE SEEN SEVERE REEF
BLEACHING AND MORTALITY THAT
HAS EVENTUALLY LED TO RECOVERY
OF THE CORALS, BUT IF YOU HAVE
TOO MANY CORALS DYING YOU'RE
NOT GOING TO HAVE VERY MANY
SOURCES OF NEW LARVAE,
ESPECIALLY IF THE REEF IS OF
LONG WAY FROM NEIGHBORING
REEFS. SO THERE'S NO PRECISE
TIPPING POINT, BUT THERE'S
CERTAINLY ARE THINGS THAT CAN
LEAD IN THAT DIRECTION.
>>OKAY. ONE OTHER QUESTION
THAT WE'VE HAD AND THEN I
THOUGHT WAS QUITE INTERESTING,
IT SORT OF RELATES BACK TO
THAT, SORT OF, FOREST FIRE
QUESTION WAS, IS IT POSSIBLE
IF MANY CORALS DIE ON THE REEF
AFTER A BLEACHING EVENT, HAS
IT BEEN OBSERVED THAT OTHER
CORALS THAT MIGHT BE
PARTICULAR RESISTANT OR MORE
RESISTANT THAT THEY HAVE
SPREAD OUT AND TAKEN OVER
LARGE PARTS OF A REEF, WHERE
POSSIBLY THEY HADN'T BEFORE?
>>YES. IN FACT, THE ONES THAT
SURVIVE POTENTIALLY CAN START
EXPANDING AND TAKING SPACE.
THE PROBLEM IS MOST OF THE
CORALS THAT SURVIVE BLEACHING
EVENTS, AND ESPECIALLY SEVERE
ONES WITH A LOT OF MORTALITY,
TEND TO BE SLOW GROWING
CORALS. AND SO, THOSE SLOW
GROWING CORALS ARE TOUGHER,
THEY'RE MORE RESISTANT AND
MORE ABLE TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER
THE EVENT, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE
SLOW GROWING THEY'RE NOT ONE
THAT CAN REALLY COMPETE FOR
SPACE. AND IT'S YOU'RE FAST
GROWING MORE WEEDY SPECIES,
THE ONES THAT CAN GROW BACK
QUICKLY, THEY'RE ALSO SOME OF
THE ONES THAT ARE MOST
AFFECTED BY BLEACHING EVENTS.
>>OKAY. AND IS, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S ONE QUESTION HERE THAT
MIGHT REQUIRE A BIT OF
EXPLANATION ON YOUR PART, BUT
I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING
QUESTION. WHICH IS, HOW WILL
CORALS IN THE MESOPHOTIC ZONE
BE AFFECTED AND/OR OFFER
POSSIBLE RESILIENCY TO
BLEACHING EVENTS?
>>GREAT QUESTIONS. SO I'LL
EXPLAIN MESOPHOTIC.
MESOPHOTIC ARE THOSE AREAS
THAT ARE IN DEEPER WATER WHERE
THERE'S LESS LIGHT, BUT IT'S
STILL IN THE PART OF THE DEEP
REEF WHERE YOU GET LIGHT
COMING DOWN FROM THE SURFACE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THERE ALSO DEEP-SEA CORALS,
WHICH ARE DOWN IN AREAS WHERE
THERE IS NO LIGHT. THEY DON'T
PHOTOSYNTHESIS, SO YOU DON'T
HAVE THE PROBLEM, BLEACHING.
THEY HAVE --
INTERESTED. IN THE MESOPHOTIC
ZONE, YOU HAVE LESS LIGHT. A
LOT OF CORALS IN THE
MESOPHOTIC ZONE ARE DIFFERENT
FROM THE ONES YOU HAVE IN
SHALLOW, SO THEIR DIFFERENT
SPECIES, BUT SOME ARE THE SAME
SPECIES AS YOU HAVE UP
SHALLOW. THE QUESTION IS, OH
WELL, SINCE THEIR DEEPER MAYBE
THEY WON'T GET AS WARM. WELL,
THE PROBLEM IS THESE REALLY
BIG BLEACHING EVENTS HAVE BEEN
PUSHING HIGH TEMPERATURES.
THE WARMING HAS BEEN PUSHING
HIGH TEMPERATURES DOWN INTO
DEEPER AND DEEPER WATER AND
THOSE CORALS IN THE GREATER
DEPTH, THE MESOPHOTIC CORALS
ARE NOT USE TO MUCH VARIATION
IN TEMPERATURE AT ALL, SO THEY
ACTUALLY HAVE A TENDENCY TO
BLEACH QUITE A BIT.
THE OTHER THING IS EVEN THOUGH
THEY MAY BE THE SAME SPECIES
AND A LOT OF STUDIES HAVE BEEN
GOING ON, STUDIES OF GENETICS
SHOW THAT THE DEEP-WATER
CORALS OR THE MESOPHOTIC
CORALS, OF TWO DIFFERENT
ISLANDS ARE MORE CLOSELY
RELATED THAN THE SAME SPECIES
IN MESOPHOTIC REEFS, ARE TOO
SHALLOW WATER CORALS OF THE
SAME SPECIES ON THE SAME
ISLAND. SO ANOTHER WORDS,
FROM DEEPER TO SHALLOW ON THE
REEF THERE'S LESS GENETIC
SIMILARITIES, SO LESS
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
POPULATIONS THAN THERE IS
BETWEEN MESOPHOTIC REEFS ON
TWO DIFFERENT ISLANDS. SO
VERY INTERESTING THINGS GOING
ON THAT WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
THERE'S SOME POSSIBILITIES
THEY CAN HELP OUT, SO FAR IT
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THEY'RE
GOING TO BE ABLE TO REALLY
PROVIDE ANY SORT OF GREAT
SALVATION FOR REEFS.
>>PRETTY --
>>ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET'S GO
ON AND WE'LL COME BACK TO MORE
QUESTIONS IN A MINUTE. ALL
RIGHT. SO WHAT DOES THE
FUTURE HOLD? LET'S THINK
ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AS THE
CLIMATE CONTINUES TO WARM. SO
WE'RE DEALING WITH A WORLDWIDE
CRISIS, THIS PICTURE AGAIN
FROM WHAT'S HAPPENED
-- AT A WIDESPREAD
PROBLEM AND ONE THAT'S BEEN
AFFECTING REEFS ALL AROUND THE
WORLD. SOME AREAS WORSE THAN
OTHERS. THIS HEAT STRESS IS
ADDING TO OTHER STRESSES THAT
ARE OUT THERE. THINGS LIKE
OVER FISHING OR DAMAGING
FISHING PRACTICES, POLLUTION
SUCH AS NUTRIENTS OR
FERTILIZER, RUN OFF LIKE
SEDIMENTS OR OTHER POLLUTANTS.
ALL OF WHICH ARE STRESSING
CORALS AND ACTING IN
COMBINATION WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES. WE HAD ALREADY
LOST FROM THOSE OTHER
STRESSORS OVER HALF OF THE
WORLD'S CORAL REEFS PRIOR TO
THIS 2014 TO 2017 BLEACHING
EVENT. SOME OF IT FROM
BLEACHING, A LOT OF IT FROM
DISEASE, A LOT OF IT FROM
OTHER PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN
GOING ON AROUND THE WORLD. IF
WE LOOK AT CLIMATE MODELS,
THIS COMES FROM A STUDY THAT
WAS IN A DOCUMENT CALLED REEFS
AT RISK, REVISITED. IT'S
ACTUALLY WORKING OFF OF SOME
OF THE OLDER MODELING STUDIES,
BUT THE MODELS USING THE
LATEST INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL
ON CLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENTS
AND THE MOST SOPHISTICATED
MODELS TO DATE SHOW VERY
SIMILAR PATTERNS. THESE ARE
LOOKING AT THE PROBABILITY OR
THE FREQUENCY, THE PERCENTAGE
OF YEARS OF ALERT LEVEL TWO
EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD. SO
THESE ARE THE EVENTS THAT
CAUSE CORALS NOT ONLY TO
BLEACH, BUT TO DIE AND WE'RE
LOOKING IN THE 2050S FOR MOST
CORAL REEFS AROUND THE WORLD
TO BE EXPOSED OVER 90 PERCENT
OF THE TIME TO TEMPERATURES
THAT CAUSE CORAL BLEACHING.
AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT
SUSTAINABLE, CORAL REEFS
CANNOT TOLERATE THAT MUCH
BLEACHING OVER AND OVER. THIS
IS LIKE THE QUESTION ABOUT THE
WILD FIRES, THIS IS LIKE
HAVING A FIRE COME THROUGH
AGAIN, EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
THERE TWO THINGS WE NEED TO BE
DOING TO DEAL WITH THIS, THE
FIRST ONE IS WE NEED TO BE
LOWERING GLOBAL --
REDUCE EMISSIONS THAT'S
IMPORTANT, BUT THAT'S ONLY THE
FIRST STEP. WE ACTUALLY HAVE
TO REDUCE C02 AROUND THE
WORLD. WE'RE CURRENTLY RIGHT
AROUND 410 PARTS PER MILLION
AND WE NEED TO GET PROBABLY
BELOW 350 PARTS PER MILLION,
WHICH IS THE LEVEL WE'RE AT
BACK IN THE 1970S. THERE SOME
QUESTIONS THAT IT ACTUALLY IS
LOWER, AND IT NEEDS TO BE MORE
LIKE 325, BUT EITHER WAY WE
NEED TO BE GOING DOWN AND AT
THIS POINT WE'RE STILL
CONTINUING TO GO UP. BUT THE
OTHER THING IS AT THE SAME
TIME AS WE'RE DEALING WITH
CLIMATE CHANGE, BECAUSE IF WE
DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE TO
THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY IT'S
GOING TO BE A VERY SLOW SHIP
TO TURN AROUND. THERE THINGS
WE CAN DO TO INCREASE THE
RESISTANCE OR RESILIENCE
REEFS. THERE SOME INNOVATIVE
IDEAS THAT HAVE COME OUT FOR
SHADING A REEF AND YOU SEE A
PICTURE OF ONE OF THESE
EXPERIMENTS DOWN HERE OR EVEN
COOLING OF REEFS. AND THOSE
ARE NEW IDEAS AND WE'LL SEE
HOW WELL THEY MIGHT WORK,
THERE EXPERIMENTS THAT ARE
GOING ON TO TRY THESE, BUT
EVEN SO THEY CAN ONLY BE DONE
IN LOCALIZED AREAS. MORE
IMPORTANTLY WHAT WE SHOULD BE
DOING IS PROTECTING REEFS FROM
SOME OF THE THINGS WE SHOULD
ALREADY HAVE BEEN PROTECTING
THEM FROM. IMPROVING WATER
QUALITY BY REDUCING
POLLUTANTS, REDUCING OTHER
STRESSES, INCLUDING THINGS
LIKE DISEASE AND REDUCING OVER
FISHING OF REEFS. ESPECIALLY,
AVOIDING THE OVER FISHING OF
THINGS LIKE THIS PARROT FISH
DOWN HERE, YOUR LAWN MOWERS OF
THE REEF THAT ARE VERY
IMPORTANT IN MOWING DOWN THOSE
ALGAE THAT GROW UP ON REEFS
AFTER CORALS ARE BLEACHED AND
DIE. FOR THOSE REEFS AROUND
THE WORLD WHERE WE'VE SEEN
RECOVERY AND SEEN THE CORALS
BOUNCING BACK, IT'S ALWAYS
BEEN IN PLACES WHERE THEY HAD
A NICE HEALTHY POPULATION OF
HERBIVOROUS FISH. THOSE LAWN
MOWERS OF THE REEF, AS WELL
AS, THINGS LIKE SEA URCHINS
AND SUCH THAT COULD KEEP THE
REEF CLEAN. AND IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT -- JUST A
NICE PLACE TO VISIT. THERE
WORTH OVER 9.8 TRILLION
DOLLARS PER YEAR IN TERMS OF
FISH, IN TERMS OF SEA FOOD, IN
TERMS OF TOURISM AND IN TERMS
OF COASTAL PROTECTION. THE
COASTAL PROTECTION ALONE IS
HUGE, PROTECTING SHORELINES
BECAUSE CORAL REEFS ACT AS
BREAK WATERS AND PREVENT THE
BIG WAVES FROM REACHING SHORE
AS READILY AS THEY OTHERWISE
WOULD. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A
HALF A BILLION AND A BILLION
PEOPLE ARE DEPENDING ON REEFS
FOR THEIR FOOD, THEIR
LIVELIHOOD AND THEIR SHORELINE
PROTECTION. CORAL REEFS ALSO
HAVE THE HIGHEST BIODIVERSITY
OF ANY ECOSYSTEMS AROUND THE
WORLD AND IN FACT, THEIR MORE
DIVERSE THAN RAIN FOREST.
PEOPLE REFER TO THE CORAL
REEFS AS THE RAIN FOREST OF
THE SEA. WE REALLY OUGHT TO
BE CALLING THE RAIN FOREST THE
CORAL REEFS OF THE LAND. SO
WHETHER YOU WANT A REALLY
HEALTHY VIBRANT CORAL REEF
WITH LOTS OF STRUCTURE AND
FISH, WHETHER YOU WANT
SOMETHING THAT'S SORT OF STILL
AROUND, BUT CAPABLE OF
SURVIVING OR IF YOU'RE WILLING
TO TAKE THE RUBBLE THAT'S LEFT
OVER AFTER THESE EVENTS, THE
FUTURE REALLY IS UP TO US. SO
WHAT CAN YOU DO AND WHAT CAN
YOUR STUDENT SEND IN THE
PEOPLE YOUR TALKING TO IN
OUTREACH GROUPS, WHAT CAN THEY
DO? FIRST OF ALL, DON'T DO
THINGS THAT DIRECTLY CAUSE THE
DAMAGE TO CORAL REEFS. AND
ONE OF THOSE IS BUYING JEWELRY
OR SOUVENIRS MADE FROM CORALS
OR OTHER REEF ANIMALS. VERY
IMPORTANT TO REDUCE YOUR OWN
PERSONAL CARBON FOOTPRINT, AS
WELL AS, CALL ON OTHERS,
GOVERNMENTS AND COUNTRIES TO
DO THEIR PART. BE A
RESPONSIBLE TOURIST AND ONE OF
THE THINGS IS VERY VALUABLE IS
KNOWING THE AREA THAT YOU'RE
GOING TO. WHAT KIND OF FISH
ARE SAFE TO EAT WITHOUT BEING
-- YOU SHOULD LEARN
MORE ABOUT CORAL REEFS. THIS
IS VERY IMPORTANT TO LEARN
WHAT GOES ON ON CORAL REEFS,
WHAT THE THREATS ARE SO YOU
CAN TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE AND
SPREAD THE WORD. AND IN FACT,
THE MOVIE CHASING CORAL IS A
GREAT WAY TO SPREAD THE WORD.
WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT IN
JUST A SECOND WHEN WE GET TO
OUR CLASSROOM RESOURCES, WE'LL
GET TO A FEW MORE QUESTIONS
BEFORE THAT. BRUCE, WHAT HAVE
WE GOT?
>>WELL AGAIN, WE'VE GOT LOTS
OF QUESTIONS. YOU KNOW, I
WANT TO GET BACK TO ONE OF OUR
EARLIER QUESTIONS, WHICH IS
WHEN DID SCIENTIST FIRST START
RECORDING CORAL BLEACHING
EVENTS?
>>WE ANSWERED THAT ONE AND
THAT WAS 1983, WAS THE FIRST
WIDESPREAD BLEACHING EVENT.
>>OKAY. IT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN
GARBLED THROUGH, SO I DIDN'T
-- I APPRECIATE THAT. YOU
KNOW, AND HISTORICALLY WHEN
YOU HAVE MEASURED OTHER, SORT
OF, CORAL BLEACHING EVENTS,
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE
BLEACHED CORALS TYPICALLY DIE?
>>IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE
LOCATION AND THE SEVERITY OF
THE EVENT. THAT'S NOT AN EASY
ONE TO SAY. A REEF THAT HAS
MORE THAN 50 PERCENT
BLEACHING, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE
SOME MORTALITY GOING ON. WHEN
YOU GET UP TO, AS MUCH AS, 75
PERCENT OF THE REEF BLEACHING,
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF
MORTALITY. WHEN YOU START
LOOKING AT 90 TO 100 PERCENT
OF THE REEF BLEACHING, THEN
YOU'RE LIKELY TO SEE, MAYBE
THREE QUARTERS OR MORE OF THE
CORALS DYING. AS I SAID IN A
SMALL ISLAND CALLED JARVIS
ISLAND WHICH IS A US ISLAND,
BUT IT'S IN THE AREA OF THE
COUNTRY OF KIRIBATI, IN THE
CENTRAL PACIFIC. DURING THAT
BIG EL NINO EVENT DURING 2015
AND 2016, ALL OF THE CORALS
BLEACHED, AND 98 PERCENT OF
THE CORALS DIED.
>>WOW. SO WITH -- YOU KNOW,
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS
PRETTY CLEAR ON YOUR MAP, IS
THAT A LOT OF THE CORAL
BLEACHING EVENTS, OR MAJORITY
OF THEM, OCCUR IN THE
EQUATORIAL REGION AND BAND
WHERE WE TYPICALLY SEE CORALS.
HAVE THERE BEEN THOUGHTS OR
HAVE THERE BEEN MODELS THAT
AS, SORT OF THOSE, EQUATORIAL
AREAS BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE MUCH
HIGHER HEAT TEMPERATURES THAT
THERE MAY BE POSSIBLE
MIGRATION OF CORALS TO MORE
NORTHERN OR SOUTHERN LATITUDES
AWAY FROM THE EQUATOR?
>>THIS HAS HAPPENED, IN FACT,
AS CONDITIONS ARE WARMING
WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THE FAST
GROWING, EASILY SPREAD CORALS,
SOME OF THE BRANCHING CORALS,
HAVE BEEN MOVING INTO MORE
POLEWARD REEF LOCATIONS AND
THERE HAS BEEN SOME MOVEMENT
OF THAT. THERE'S BEEN STUDIES
OF SOME CORALS MOVING UP
THROUGH THE JAPANESE
ARCHIPELAGO, MOVING DOWN THE
WEST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. SOME
EXPANSION OF REEFS GOING UP
THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA,
ALTHOUGH IT'S A LITTLE
UNCERTAIN WHETHER THAT WAS AN
IMPROVEMENT IN WATER QUALITY,
WARMING OR SOME COMBINATION OF
THE TWO. THE PROBLEM THOUGH
IS, REMEMBER CORALS ARE
ANIMAL, VEGETABLE AND MINERAL
AND JUST AS YOUR GROWING ZONES
CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,
SO DO THE GROWING ZONES FOR
CORALS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S IMPORTANT IN MANY OF
YOU WHO ARE GARDENERS HAVE
EXPERIENCED THIS, YOU MAY HAVE
WARM ENOUGH TEMPERATURES, BUT
IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
LIGHT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A
LONG ENOUGH GROWING PERIOD AND
ENOUGH SUNLIGHT, SOME CROPS,
SOME VEGETABLES, FOR EXAMPLE
JUST WON'T GROW WELL OR WON'T
PRODUCE. AND THE SAME THING
APPLIES TO CORALS SO AS THEY
MOVE MORE POLEWARD THEIR
GETTING LESS LIGHT AND SO
THOSE CORALS THEN START TO
MOVE UP AND GROW CLOSER TO THE
SURFACE AND WHEN THEY GROW
CLOSER TO --
TEMPERATURE. PLUS, MORE HIGH
TEMPERATURE EVENTS AND MORE
COLD EVENTS BECAUSE AS YOU
MOVE POLEWARD YOU GET MORE
COLD FRONTS. SO IT'S NOT AN
EASY ANSWER TO HAVE CORALS
JUST GO MOVING POLEWARD.
>>WELL, WE ACTUALLY HAD A
COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT FOCUS
ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION MARK,
AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU MIGHT
BE ABLE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TO
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND IMPACT
ON CORAL BLEACHING AND WHETHER
OR NOT THERE'S ANY KIND OF
SYNERGY BETWEEN THE TWO?
HIGHER TEMPERATURES AND OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION.
>>THERE IS AND IN FACT, THIS
IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
INCREASING CARBON DIOXIDE IN
THE ATMOSPHERE IS CAUSING BOTH
OF THESE PROBLEMS. THERE IS
SOME SYNERGY, THERE'S BEEN
SOME STUDIES THAT HAVE SHOWN
THAT IN SOME SPECIES OF
CORALS, HIGHER BLEACHING
OCCURS MORE AT THE SAME
TEMPERATURE IN ACIDIFIED WATER
THAN UNACIDIFIED WATER. IN
OTHER WORDS, OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION IS MAKING CORALS
MORE SENSITIVE TO HIGH
TEMPERATURES AND SO SOME
CORALS DO EXHIBIT THAT, OTHERS
DON'T. AND SO, IT'S A FAIRLY
COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP THAT DOES
NOT HAVE A SIMPLE ANSWER. THE
OTHER THING THAT'S VERY
IMPORTANT IS, AFTER A REEF
BLEACHES AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF
MORTALITY, THE CORALS HAVE TO
GROW BACK. AS OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION INCREASES IT
SLOWS THE RATE OF WHICH CORALS
CAN GROW, SO THE CORALS CANNOT
BOUNCE BACK AS FAST, SO YOUR
RECOVERY OF REEFS IS A LOT
SLOWER. SO THIS IS ONE OF THE
BIGGEST THINGS THAT COMES IN.
REALLY, I USE TO BE MUCH MORE
CONCERNED ABOUT OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION AFFECTING CORAL
REEFS THAN I AM NOW. AND
WHAT'S CHANGED IS NOT THAT I'M
LESS CONCERNED ABOUT OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION, IT'S AFTER
ALREADY REACHING THIS POINT OF
HAVING THIS -- HAS
CAUSED, I'M JUST MUCH MORE
WORRIED ABOUT THE TEMPERATURES
AND THINK THE OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION IS GOING TO BE A
MUCH LESS OF AN ISSUE TO DEAL
WITH. GOOD QUESTION, I MEAN
THE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IS AN
ISSUE WE DO NEED TO DISCUSS.
WELL, LET'S GO THROUGH THE
CLASSROOM RESOURCES AND THEN
WE'LL COME BACK TO SOME MORE
OF THESE QUESTIONS AT THE END.
SO AMONG THESE RESOURCES THERE
ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE
AVAILABLE. I'LL TALK ABOUT
SOME THINGS WE HAVE ACTUALLY
WITHIN CORAL REEF WATCHES
WEBSITE, WHICH IS AT
CORALREEFWATCH.NOAA.GOV AND
THINGS THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THAT
AND CAN USE IN THE CLASSROOM
DIRECTLY. OF COURSE, ALL OF
OUR PRODUCTS ARE THERE, BUT
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES
IT EASY TO WORK WITH AND FUN
IN A CLASSROOM IS TO USE
SOMETHING LIKE, GOOGLE OR WE
ALSO HAVE TOOLS IN GOOGLE
MAPS, BUT THE SPINNING GLOBE
AND THE ABILITY TO GO AROUND
AND POP UP THE INDIVIDUAL
LOCATIONS ON THAT GLOBE CAN BE
QUITE A GOOD EXPERIENCE. AND
IT EVEN TEACHES TROPICAL
GEOGRAPHY -- IT'S NOT
AN AREA THAT THEIR USE TO
DEALING WITH AND FINDING ON
MAPS. SO I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
THINK ABOUT IT YOURSELVES, YOU
COULD PROBABLY ALL KNOW WHERE
PAPUA NEW GUINEA IS THERE, BUT
DID YOU KNOW WHERE THE NATION
OF KIRIBATI WAS LOCATED, MUCH
LESS THE ISLAND OF NIUE. SO
IT'S A GOOD WAY TO GET SOME
GEOGRAPHY TOSSED IN ALONG THE
LINES WHILE YOU'RE GOING IN
AND LEARNING ABOUT WHERE CORAL
BLEACHING IS GOING ON, RIGHT
NOW. SO WE HAVE PAST HISTORY
PRODUCTS OR WHAT'S GOING ON
RIGHT NOW AND YOU CAN GO IN
AND SEE UP TO THE MINUTE
BLEACHING INFORMATION, IN
TERMS OF THE HEAT STRESS
AROUND THE WORLD. AND IT
PROVIDES LINKS TO THE DATA
WHERE YOU CAN GO IN AND USE
THE DATA RESOURCES. YOU KNOW,
SOME OF THOSE INCLUDE TIME
SERIES PLOTS OF WHAT'S GOING
ON AT ANY PARTICULAR LOCATION
AROUND THE WORLD, HOW MUCH
HEAT STRESS THERE IS AND HOW
SEVERE THE BLEACHING MIGHT BE.
WE ALSO HAVE A REMOTE SENSING
CURRICULUM ON OUR WEBSITE THAT
GOES THROUGH AND TALKS ABOUT
OUR -- SENSING AND
WHAT REMOTE SENSING IS, ABOUT
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM,
SATELLITES, SOME THINGS LIKE
PLANKTON AND OCEAN COLOR AND
THEN GETS INTO CORAL REEFS AND
CORAL BLEACHING. ALL OF THESE
WERE DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO
SOME EARLIER SCIENCE
STANDARDS. THERE NOT -- IT
HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED TO THE
LATEST STANDARDS THAT CAME OUT
RECENTLY. WOULD LOVE TO HAVE
A TEACHER WORK WITH US TO GO
THROUGH AND ADAPT THIS TO HIT
ON THE LATEST STANDARDS IN
CURRICULUM THAT ARE OUT NOW.
BUT IN ADDITION, THERE'S A
WIDE VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS
THAT ARE AVAILABLE FROM NOAAS
CORAL REEF CONSERVATION
PROGRAM AND OTHER PARTS OF
NOAA. THERE'S THE DATA IN THE
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, WHERE
YOU CAN GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT
INFORMATION ABOUT CORAL
BLEACHING AND THERE IS SOME
STUDY PROBLEMS YOU CAN WORK
THROUGH AND TALK THROUGH
WHAT'S GOING ON ON CORAL
REEFS. THERE ARE CORAL REEF
ACTIVITY BOOKLETS. THERE EVEN
FOR THE MULTILINGUAL, SOME OF
THESE ARE GOING TO BE COMING
OUT SOON IN ENGLISH, BUT ALL
ABOUT CORAL REEFS, MANGROVES
AND MARINE HERBIVORES, THAT'S
A SEA URCHIN AND THE ONE ON
THE RIGHT. CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AND SOON
IN ENGLISH, AS WELL. THERE'S
A SERIES OF WONDERFUL VIDEOS
BEING PUT TOGETHER BY THE
OCEAN TODAY GROUP, AND THEY
HAVE THESE OCEAN TODAY VIDEOS
EVERY FULL MOON. SO ON EACH
FULL MOON, ONCE A MONTH THEY
COME OUT WITH A NEW VIDEO
TALKING ABOUT VARIOUS
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND
THINGS RELATED TO THE OCEANS.
THEY'RE ALSO ANIMATIONS OF
CORAL BLEACHING AND WHAT'S
GOING ON ON THE WEB. THIS
PARTICULAR ONE IS A REALLY
AMUSING WAY TO TEACH CORAL
BLEACHING EVEN TO ADULTS.
IT'S JUST A LOT MORE FUN THAN
GOING THROUGH THE NORMAL
PROCESS OF DESCRIBING
BLEACHING AND WHAT GOES ON
-- AND THE CORAL
PROGRAM HAS THESE NEW CLIMATE
CHANGE AND REEF RESILIENCE
ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE RECENTLY
BEEN PUT TOGETHER. YOU CAN
ALSO GET INVOLVED IN LOCAL
RE-SCIENCE ACTIVITIES.
THERE'S A WIDESPREAD GLOBAL
ACTIVITY CALLED REEF CHECK,
WHICH IS FOR DOING ACTUAL
SURVEYS AND GETTING PERCENT
CORAL COVER AND THINGS LIKE
THAT. SOME SIMPLER THINGS
THOUGH ARE JUST BEING A PART
OF THESE ACTIVITIES THAT ALLOW
PEOPLE TO BE THE EYES ON THE
REEF OR THE EYES OF THE REEF.
GOING IN LOOKING AT CORAL
REEFS TO SEE HOW MUCH
BLEACHING'S GOING ON, IF THEIR
DISEASES AND REPORTING THAT TO
PEOPLE SO THAT EXPERTS CAN GO
OUT AND FOLLOW UP ON THOSE
OBSERVATIONS. THE EYES OF THE
REEF HAWAII PROGRAM IS A BIG
ONE AND THE FLORIDA KEYS
NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY, WE
HAVE THE CORAL BLEACHING
PROGRAM THERE. THERE'S ALSO A
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CORAL
BLEACHING PROGRAM, BOTH OF
THESE ARE KNOWN AS, BLEACH
WATCH. AND THERE'S ALSO A
BLEACH WATCH PROGRAM IN THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS, THEY'VE EVEN
PUT TOGETHER AN APP FOR IT, SO
YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR PHONE
FOR REPORTING BLEACHING
EVENTS. SO THESE ARE GREAT
WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET TRAINED
AND GO OUT WHEN YOU'RE
SNORKELING OR DIVING, IF YOU
HAPPEN TO HAVE -- HAPPEN TO BE
LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE NEAR A REEF
OR IF YOU HAVE TRIPS THAT YOU
TAKE OUT TO THE REEF, YOU CAN
GET INVOLVED IN THESE
PROGRAMS. SO FINALLY, I TOLD
YOU BEFORE WE'D TALK ABOUT
CHASING CORAL, IF YOU HAVEN'T
SEEN IT YET, I ENCOURAGE YOU
TO SEE IT. IT IS STREAMING ON
NETFLIX. WE WON THE AUDIENCE
AWARD FOR BEST US DOCUMENTARY
AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL.
WE'RE PREMIERED THIS YEAR,
IT'S BEEN NOMINATED FOR
CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS, IT IS A
CONTENDER FOR THE OSCAR'S.
FINGERS CROSSED ON THAT, WE'RE
WAITING FOR NOMINATION SEASON.
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE
-- THE CHASING CORAL
WEBSITE AND YOU CAN GO ON
CHASING CORALS, IN FACT, TO
ORGANIZE THE SCREENING LOCALLY
IN YOUR AREA. THIS IS A VERY
IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS
TO HOLD YOUR OWN SCREENINGS.
YOU CAN ALSO USE CHASING CORAL
AS SOMETHING IN THE CLASSROOM
AND THERE'S SOON GOING TO BE
COMING OUT WITH A SPECIAL
CURRICULUM WITH THINGS YOU CAN
DO TO TEACH WHAT'S GOING ON ON
CORAL REEFS WITH FILM CLIPS
THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE THAT
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND SHOW IN
THE CLASSROOM. AND THERE WILL
BE A LOT MORE OF THESE
CURRICULUM AND FILM CLIPS
COMING OUT IN THE VERY NEAR
FUTURE AND A LOT OF THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO
DETAIL AT A WORKSHOP AT THE
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION THAT BRUCE AND I
WILL BE INVOLVED IN. SO IF
YOU'RE COMING TO THE NATIONAL
SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
MEETING IN ATLANTA, SIGN UP
FOR THE CORAL BLEACHING
ACTIVITIES. IN FACT, WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE THREE BACK TO
BACK WORKSHOPS: ONE ON ICE,
ONE ON CORAL, AND ONE ON
FURTHER CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES.
SO IN SUMMARY, CORALS ARE
ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, AND MINERAL
AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN
WHAT GOES ON IN CORALS AND
CORAL REEFS AND WHY CORAL
BLEACHING IS SUCH A PROBLEM.
WE ARE SEEING THE INCREASE IN
THE HOT WATER THAT CAUSES
CORAL BLEACHING AROUND THE
WORLD. FORTUNATELY, WE CAN
PINPOINT AREAS AT RISK USING
SATELLITES AND WARN MANAGERS
IN ADVANCE OF BLEACHING.
BLEACHING IS GETTING WORSE AS
THE OCEANS WARM AND WE NEED TO
BE ACTING TO SAVE CORAL REEFS
AND THIS INVOLVES BOTH
REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE
ATMOSPHERE AND IN REDUCING
LOCAL THREATS. AND MOST
IMPORTANTLY IS SPREADING THE
WORD ABOUT WHAT CORAL REEFS
ARE, WHY THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT
IN THE THREATS THAT THEIR
FACING. SO WITH THAT, WE'VE
REACHED THE END. BRUCE, BACK
TO QUESTIONS.
>>OKAY. YES, WE DO HAVE SOME
QUESTIONS. WE'LL HAVE JUST A
COUPLE OF MINUTES OF
QUESTIONS, THEN I WOULD LIKE
TO FINALIZE WITH A COUPLE OF
SLIDES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. WE
CAN END THE RECORDING, BUT
THEN IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS WE WILL CONTINUE TO
TAKE THOSE. SO ONE QUESTION
THAT I HAVE FOR YOU MARK IS,
CAN YOU DISCUSS A LITTLE BIT
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
ORGANISMAL, THE ECOSYSTEMS
THAT SURROUND A CORAL REEF
WHEN IT DIES? IS THERE A
CHANGEOVER IN SPECIES THAT
POPULATE A REEF THAT, YOU
KNOW, NO LONGER HAS CORAL AS
ITS MAIN SUBSTRATE THAT NOW
IT'S GETTING POPULATED BY
ALGAE? DO NEW ANIMALS COME
OUT, IS IT COMPLETELY
ABANDONED? WHAT HAPPENS TO
IT?
>>YEAH. ABSOLUTELY THERE ARE
CHANGES, UNFORTUNATELY, I'M
NOT AWARE OF NEW ANIMALS
COMING OUT, NEW ANIMALS COMING
IN. THERE IS AN INCREASE IN
THE POPULATION OF YOUR
HERBIVORES, IF YOU HAVE A
HEALTHY POPULATION. IF IT'S
OVER-FISHED THAT UNFORTUNATELY
WON'T HAPPEN, BUT IF YOU DO
HAVE A HEALTHY POPULATION OF
HERBIVORES, THEY WILL START TO
EXPLODE AND MOW DOWN THE ALGAE
AND THAT'S WHEN YOU START
HAVING THE ABILITY TO SEE SOME
RECOVERY OF THAT ECOSYSTEM,
BUT IN THE MEANTIME WHEN THE
CORALS HAVE DIED THERE ARE A
LOT OF ORGANISMS THAT REQUIRE
CORALS AND CORAL REEFS,
REQUIRE LIVING CORAL TO LIVE
AND THOSE ORGANISMS ARE GOING
TO DIE. THEY DON'T HAVE THE
CORAL, THEY CAN'T MOVE AWAY,
THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE THE NEXT
REEF IS, AND THEY PROBABLY
CAN'T GET THERE ANYWAY. THERE
ARE OTHERS THAT ARE LIVING ON
REEFS, BUT NOT COMPLETELY
DEPENDING ON THEM. SOME OF
THE FISH, ESPECIALLY WILL
START TO MOVE TO OTHER
HABITATS, WILL MOVE AWAY, SOME
OF THEM WON'T BE ABLE TO
COMPETE IN THOSE NEW HABITATS,
THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIND
ENOUGH FOOD AND DIE.
-- AND THERE MORE
SUSCEPTIBLE TO PREDATION. SO
WE SEE A LOT OF FISH LOSS, WE
SEE A LOT OF LOSS OF MANY OF
THE INVERTEBRATES LIVE ON
CORAL REEFS. THERE'S A
DRAMATIC DROP IN BIODIVERSITY
THAT OCCURS AFTER A BLEACHING
EVENT THAT LEADS TO MAJOR
MORTALITY.
>>AND ARE WE SEEING
POSSIBILITY OF EXTINCTION
LEVEL EVENTS FOR CERTAIN
SPECIES THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED
WITH CERTAIN REEFS?
>>YES, WE ARE. AND IN FACT,
FOR CORALS THEMSELVES, THERE
WAS A PROPOSAL TO LIST 82
SPECIES OF CORALS UNDER THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. THE
NUMBER ACTUALLY THAT WERE
LISTED WAS MUCH LOWER. IT WAS
ABOUT 20 NEW CORALS WERE
LISTED. THERE ARE SOME CORALS
THAT ARE REALLY AT RISK AT
THIS POINT AND THERE IS ONE
SPECIES OF CORAL IN THE
EASTERN PACIFIC, THAT TO THE
BEST WE CAN TELL, HAS ALREADY
BEEN DRIVEN EXTINCT BECAUSE OF
HIGH TEMPERATURES AND CORAL
BLEACHING.
>>WELL, SO WE'VE HEARD IN THE
NEWS, AT LEAST I'VE READ IN
THE NEWS IN A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT ARTICLES, ABOUT
EFFORTS TO RECEDE REEFS THAT
HAD BEEN DAMAGED BY CORAL
BLEACHING WITH MORE HEAT
TOLERANT SPECIES. IF THAT'S
DONE TO A REEF AND IF A REEF
DOES THEN BECOME REPOPULATED
WITH A MORE HEAT TOLERANT
SPECIES OVER TIME, DO YOU SEE
A SUBSEQUENT SHIFT IN THE
ORGANISM OR THE ANIMAL
ECOSYSTEM -- THE OTHER LIKE
THE FISH OR ANY OTHER
ORGANISMS THAT NOW POPULATE
THAT REEF?
>>YEAH. THEY START COMING
BACK AS SOON AS YOU HAVE
HEALTHY CORALS AGAIN. SO WHAT
YOU'RE DESCRIBING BRUCE, IS
ACTUALLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST
SUCCESS STORIES IN CORAL REEF
CONSERVATION AND ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY I'M STILL HOPEFUL
FOR CORAL REEFS IN THE FUTURE.
THERE ARE SOME REEFS THAT ARE
GOING TO -- AND WE
NEED TO FOCUS A LOT OF EFFORT
IN THOSE AREAS. AND THERE'S
AN EFFORT CALLED, FIFTY REEFS.
YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AT
FIFTYREEFS.ORG TO FIND OUT
MORE ABOUT IT. IN THIS
EFFORT, IS LOOKING TO IDENTIFY
THOSE REEFS MOST LIKELY TO
SURVIVE INTO THE FUTURE AND AT
THE SAME TIME BE THE ONES THAT
ARE CAPABLE OF RESEEDING
SURROUNDING REEFS ONCE WE GET
CLIMATE CHANGE UNDER CONTROL.
AT THE SAME TIME THERE'S BEEN
MAJOR CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO
PROPAGATE CORALS IN NURSERIES
AND TO GROW CORALS IN
NURSERIES. AND THERE FINDING
GREAT WAYS TO BE ABLE TO GROW
THESE UP QUICKLY AND PUT THEM
BACK OUT TO RESEED THEM ON
REEFS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THE
TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO
RISE AND YOU'VE HIT ON THE
LAST OF THESE. THERE'S SOME
MAJOR EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING
ON ESPECIALLY ONE INVOLVING
RUTH GATES AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF HAWAII AND HER RESEARCH
PARTNER AND AUSTRALIAN,
MADELINE VAN OPPEN AT THE
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE
SCIENCE, AND THERE WORKING ON
BREEDING SUPER CORALS. THIS
ISN'T GENETIC ENGINEERING,
THIS IS GOOD OLD FASHIONED
CROSS BREEDING. FIGURING OUT
WHICH CORALS SURVIVE BEST,
CROSSING THEM WITH OTHERS AND
THEN IN THE LABORATORY
EXPOSING THEM TO TOUGH
CONDITIONS SO THAT THEY ARE
ABLE TO TURN ON THE GENES AND
PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS TO
PROTECT THEM. AND THEN TAKING
THOSE CORALS AND PLANTING
THOSE BACK OUT ON THE REEF AND
THESE ARE MAJOR EFFORTS THAT
NEED TO BE DONE IN THOSE
PLACES WHERE WE'RE MOST LIKELY
TO SEE CORAL SURVIVAL. SO
THERE'S A LOT THAT'S BEING
DONE RIGHT NOW TO TRY AND
HELP, BUT JUST REMEMBER THE
SCALE OF THIS, THIS IS A BIG
AREA AND A LOT HAS TO BE DONE
TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SCALE
THIS UP TO BE ABLE TO
APPROPRIATELY APPLY THESE
TECHNIQUES ACROSS CORAL REEFS.