Chasing Coral - Netflix Documentary

[rjgiddings]

The evidence was pretty solid as to global warming of the oceans- and the film showing the amazing effects of that - to the point where I was very, very depressed after watching. It then kind of launched me into a blend of being inspired to make my own changes to slow down my own carbon footprint, and wanting to go diving before it's all gone. That guy Josh (?) had such a positive attitude - it was very tragic to see this kid get so sad and frustrated. For people who weren't actors, they presented some raw courage and emotions that were touching, I thought. You just had to let the cameras roll and show what they were trying to document. Some really good underwater camerawork.

 

[scuba_kiwi]

This was a very brief extract that at the end actually points right back to more modern studies linking global warming to the causation - "providing evidence for a solar radiation-temperature stress synergism (Gleason and Wellington, 1993; Rowan et al., 1997; Jones et al., 1998). [...] This two-parameter interaction has much to recommend it as a primary cause of coral bleaching. It is, in fact, the mechanism favored by Hoegh-Guldberg (1999), who claims - in one of the strongest attempts yet made to portray global warming as the cause of bleaching in corals". Extra solar radiation declines may help briefly, but we know this is cyclical and will not last. It's like your reef aquarium - you adjust your lights to not bleach your corals, but if you fail to take care of the water chemistry and temperature...the corals will die anyway.

 

[UFOrb]

Unfortunately there are other factors regarding the destruction of our reefs that were completely ignored.

Agreed. For example, the issue of acidification and its causes seems to get somewhat overlooked but could be, in some cases, a much greater problem than global climate change.
That said, I do not underestimate the significance of climate change either!

 

[Schwob]

Finally got around watching "Chasing Coral". Definitely a must see. A very sad must see. Maybe the best documentary on the topic for a general viewing population yet...

 

[drbill]

Okay, please don't take this question as apathetic, or oversimplified, as it is a genuine question.

Assuming the ocean continues to warm, as it appears it will, would the coral life not just shift to more temperate waters?

I realize the tragedy which is happening, but life has a great ability to adapt.

Rate of change and ability of corals to disperse over distance are issues that limit how quickly coral could reach new, more tolerable habitats and survive. If the coral dies off quickly and it is unable to disperse beyond the affected area, it is unlikely it could reach areas that are still tolerable in time.

As Phil (MAXBOTTOMTIME) pointed out there are other factors involved. When I dove the GBR in 2001 fertilizer run-off was considered a major issue.

 

[CT-Rich]

The acidification of the water is also going to play a role. The lower the pH the harder it will be for carbonates to form and maintain reefs and shells. The Ocean reefs will probably recover eventually, but that will take thousands of years and the extinction of thousands of species. The changes that are going on are geologic in scale and occurring in terms of human lifetimes, which is a camera flash in comparison.

That's why I went into the solar industry. I think it not going change much, but it is something.

 

[xmass-Eve]

In 2016, the water temperature where I was working was constantly 29/30C, 84/86F. Normally, it fluctuates between 26/30C, 79/86F with some colder thermoclines too. The coral changing was very visible. The mushroom coral were the first to go white or in fluo colours, like yellow or pink. Students loved it, they thought it was cute. Good there is an environmental part in the OW class so we could explain it wasn't great at all.
Later the stackhorns and table corals started to turn too. By the end of 2016, so many corals were dead and/or covered with algae.... It was really sad to see. I don't know how 2017 went. I am not there anymore. I asked my ex-collegues some days ago. They say it's still the same...

 

[togatown]

After watching this documentary, I posted a link to it, on my FB page, along with my comments on how my wife and I have seen the bleaching first hand, and if you have never snorkeled or dove a reef, you better do it soon. And what struck me most, was that not one of my hundreds of non-diving friends ever commented on it. Sad that no one outside of a small community even cares.

 

[Schwob]

After watching this documentary, I posted a link to it, on my FB page, along with my comments on how my wife and I have seen the bleaching first hand, and if you have never snorkeled or dove a reef, you better do it soon. And what struck me most, was that not one of my hundreds of non-diving friends ever commented on it. Sad that no one outside of a small community even cares.

Very true and very sad indeed.

People most often do not care about a message, no matter how true or how clear, unless there is an immediate directly affecting connection, emotionally, financially or existential.
Ergo, until it's bad enough that one or several of those are true to a majority of people, such messages run their unheard course in the masses and the weird fringes of the populus, like divers, nature lovers, maybe even fisherman/woman, the odd scientist, hobbyist or green oriented person have scarily few ways, seemingly none really to change that. It seams that something always has to go really, really bad and very close to home before it matters to anyone.

 

[Youssef ElNahas]

If you had told me I would almost cry watching a documentary about coral reliefs I would have started laughing but here we are