Coral Reef Rescue

FINALIST FOR THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER AND BOOKLIST The story of the urgent fight to save coral reefs, and why it matters to us all Coral reefs are a microcosm of our planet: extraordinarily diverse, deeply interconnected, and full of wonders. When they’re thriving, these fairy gardens hidden beneath the ocean’s surface burst with color and life. They sustain bountiful ecosystems and protect vulnerable coasts. Corals themselves are evolutionary marvels that build elaborate limestone formations from their collective skeletons, broker symbiotic relationships with algae, and manufacture their own fluorescent sunblock. But corals across the planet are in the middle of an unprecedented die-off, beset by warming oceans, pollution, damage by humans, and a devastating pandemic. Juli Berwald fell in love with coral reefs as a marine biology student, entranced by their beauty and complexity. Alarmed by their peril, she traveled the world to discover how to prevent their loss. She met scientists and activists operating in emergency mode, doing everything they can think of to prevent coral reefs from disappearing forever. She was so amazed by the ingenuity of these last-ditch efforts that she joined in rescue missions, unexpected partnerships, and risky experiments, and helped rebuild reefs with rebar and zip ties. Life on the Rocks is an inspiring, lucid, meditative ode to the reefs and the undaunted scientists working to save them against almost impossible odds. As she also attempts to help her daughter in her struggle with mental illness, Berwald explores what it means to keep fighting a battle whose outcome is uncertain. She contemplates the inevitable grief of climate change and the beauty of small victories.

This poignant tribute to the beauty of coral reefs sheds light on the destruction of global reef ecosystems and the climate science behind the conservation efforts to save them. Broken into three parts—Discovering Corals, Wonder and Devastation, and Searching for Hope—and told through a series of gripping stories, author and documentarian David Alexander Baker takes readers on a global adventure to the front lines of an unfolding ecological crisis. More than half of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed in the past fifty years due to the climate crisis. The Lost Continent helps readers gain a deeper understanding of coral reefs and why they are vital to the health of our oceans—and the survival of our planet—and highlights the incredible conservation and restoration strides being made around the world. With over 60 breathtaking photographs of coral reefs spanning from Colombia to Australia to the Florida Keys readers will be moved both by the majesty of nature and the urgency to preserve and restore these great cities of the seas.

"... this book is the first to describe, in detail, the art and science of coral reef restoration. It is to be hoped that the information that can be gleaned within the pages of this book will set a path towards continued preservation of this valuable underwater treasure to be used, appreciated, and experienced for future generations." -- Senator Bob Graham (retired), Miami Lakes, Florida, from the Foreword Most of what we know about the rehabilitation of coral reef systems stems from efforts to repair reefs injured by vessels that have run aground. To date, however, there is a paucity of published literature regarding the efficacy and/or failure of coral reef restoration techniques. While most of the literature that is available comes from meeting abstracts, workshops and technical memoranda, these papers and reports have forged a scientific framework that can help guide future efforts. The Coral Reef Restoration Handbook is the first published volume devoted to the science of coral reef restoration. It offers a scientific, conceptual framework along with practical strategies for reef assessment and restoration. Contributors from a variety of disciplines discuss engineering, geological, biological, and socioeconomic factors to create a text that is designed to guide scientists and resource managers in the decision-making process from initial assessment of the injury through conceptual restoration design, implementation, and monitoring. An excellent selection of relevant case studies is utilized to illustrate concepts and challenges inherent in the process of restoration. This volume gives reef scientists and managers the opportunity to glean significant information from previous efforts. It provides them with the opportunity to build on the lessons learned and develop successful restoration efforts into the future.

In this splashy new Sea Keeper tale, something's fishy at a Down Under talent show and the Sea Keepers are called in to help in this third installment in the series. The Sea Keepers are off to Australia to help their mates, the Oceania mermaids! Divers are threatening their beautiful coral reef and evil siren Effluvia has bewitched a dangerous shark to spoil the mermaids' tropical talent show. Now all the fish who live there are in danger! Can Emily, Grace, and Layla find the magical pearl to save the show and protect the reef without becoming a shark's snack? Pick up The Mermaid's Dolphin if you are looking for: The perfect book for 2nd to 5th grade students A story with strong female protagonists that explores bravery and friendship A fun series that promotes environmentalism and other aspects of marine biology

"Pollution, climate change, and overfishing are killing the world's coral reefs. But you can help! Navigate through three different stories in this ecological rescue mission. With dozens of possible story outcomes, it's up to you to save the coral reefs from extinction. The planet needs you. Will YOU CHOOSE to help?"--

Charles Birkeland Living coral is a thin veneer, measured in millimeters. Yet this thin film of living tissue has shaped the face of the Earth by creating limestone structures sometimes over 1,300 m thick from the surface down to its base on volcanic rock (Enewetak Atoll), or over 2,000 km long (Great Barrier Reef). About half the world's coastlines are in the tropics and about a third of the tropical coastlines are made of coral reef. Archipelagoes of hundreds of atolls such as the Marshalls, the Maldives, the Tuamotus, and most of the Carolines and Kiribati have been fonned by coral. In addition to enlarging high islands (such as the entire northern end of Guam) and extending and protecting coastlines, ancient biogenic reefs have fonned even larger areas on the present continents. Shallow living coral 2 reefs are estimated to presently cover over 600,000 km (Smith, 1978). Coral reefs are dynamic systems, producing limestone at the rate of 400-2,000 tons per hectare per year (Chave et aI. , 1972). The Great Barrier Reef dominates 2 230,000 km and has grown to this size in a geologically brief period of a few million years. Coral reefs influence the chemical balance of the world's oceans. Roughly half the calcium that enters the sea each year around the world, from the north to south poles, is taken up and temporarily bound into coral reefs (Smith, 1978).

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 61. The effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and related climate change on shallow coral reefs are gaining considerable attention for scientific and economic reasons worldwide. Although increased scientific research has improved our understanding of the response of coral reefs to climate change, we still lack key information that can help guide reef management. Research and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems over the past few decades have documented two major threats related to increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2: (1) increased sea surface temperatures and (2) increased seawater acidity (lower pH). Higher atmospheric CO2 levels have resulted in rising sea surface temperatures and proven to be an acute threat to corals and other reef-dwelling organisms. Short periods (days) of elevated sea surface temperatures by as little as 1–2°C above the normal maximum temperature has led to more frequent and more widespread episodes of coral bleaching-the expulsion of symbiotic algae. A more chronic consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 is the lowering of pH of surface waters, which affects the rate at which corals and other reef organisms secrete and build their calcium carbonate skeletons. Average pH of the surface ocean has already decreased by an estimated 0.1 unit since preindustrial times, and will continue to decline in concert with rising atmospheric CO2. These climate-related Stressors combined with other direct anthropogenic assaults, such as overfishing and pollution, weaken reef organisms and increase their susceptibility to disease.

Publisher description

Coral reefs are critical to ocean and human life because they provide food, living area, storm protection, tourism income, and more. However, human-induced stressors, such as overfishing, sediment, pollution, and habitat destruction have threatened ocean ecosystems globally for decades. In the face of climate change, these ecosystems now face an array of unfamiliar challenges due to destructive rises in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level. These factors lead to an increased frequency of bleaching events, hindered growth, and a decreasing rate of calcification. Research on interventions to combat these relatively new stressors and a reevaluation of longstanding interventions is necessary to understand and protect coral reefs in this changing climate. Previous research on these methods prompts further questions regarding the decision making process for site-specific interventions. A Decision Framework for Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs builds upon a previous report that reviews the state of research on methods that have been used, tested, or proposed to increase the resilience of coral reefs. This new report aims to help coral managers evaluate the specific needs of their site and navigate the 23 different interventions described in the previous report. A case study of the Caribbean, a region with low coral population plagued by disease, serves as an example for coral intervention decision making. This report provides complex coral management decision making tools, identifies gaps in coral biology and conservation research, and provides examples to help individuals and communities tailor a decision strategy to a local area.