Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t observa; Peter Ridd is right – the Great Barrier Reef is not in immediate danger of dying. James Cook University, Peter Ridd’s adversary in his unfair dismissal court case, has just slightly walked back some of their more ridiculous Great Barrier Reef extinction claims.
Coral count rethinks extinction risk
The global extinction risk of most coral species is lower than previously estimated, scientists in North Queensland claim.
In a world-first, researchers at James Cook University have assessed the number of coral colonies in the Pacific Ocean and evaluated their risk of extinction.
The study measured the population sizes of more than 300 individual coral species on reefs across the Pacific Ocean, from Indonesia to French Polynesia.
Using a combination of coral reef habitat maps and counts of coral colonies to estimate species abundances, they estimate roughly half a trillion corals in the Pacific alone.
Given the huge size of these coral populations, researchers believe it is very unlikely that they face imminent extinction.
…
Co-author Professor Terry Hughes stated while the study results have huge implications for managing and restoring coral reefs, it is is not the solution to climate change.
“You would have to grow about 250 million adult corals to increase coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef by just one percent.”
…
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coral-count-rethinks-extinction-risk/ar-BB1e7fD5
The abstract of the study;
The population sizes and global extinction risk of reef-building coral species at biogeographic scales
Andreas Dietzel, Michael Bode, Sean R. Connolly & Terry P. Hughes
Abstract
Knowledge of a species’ abundance is critically important for assessing its risk of extinction, but for the vast majority of wild animal and plant species such data are scarce at biogeographic scales. Here, we estimate the total number of reef-building corals and the population sizes of more than 300 individual species on reefs spanning the Pacific Ocean biodiversity gradient, from Indonesia to French Polynesia. Our analysis suggests that approximately half a trillion corals (0.3 × 1012–0.8 × 1012) inhabit these coral reefs, similar to the number of trees in the Amazon. Two-thirds of the examined species have population sizes exceeding 100 million colonies, and one-fifth of the species even have population sizes greater than 1 billion colonies. Our findings suggest that, while local depletions pose imminent threats that can have ecologically devastating impacts to coral reefs, the global extinction risk of most coral species is lower than previously estimated.
Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01393-4
Professor Terry Hughes, whose name appears on this paper, lodged official complaints about Peter Ridd, and in my opinion contributed to Peter Ridd’s dismissal for the crime of being right.
On one hand it is a positive that coral science seems to be edging towards a much needed correction.
But this slight shift towards Peter Ridd’s position, that claims the Great Barrier Reef is on the verge of extinction are grossly exaggerated, in my opinion puts James Cook University into an even more untenable position.
The sooner James Cook University apologises and settles Peter Ridd’s unfair dismissal claim, the better it will be for their long journey back to restoring James Cook’s in my opinion shattered scientific reputation.
Sorry folks, it’s too late for the James Cook crooks to try a decent retreat now, they have already won The Global Snake Oil Prize three times to share and own.
Poker players will see such changes in behavior of a player or his utterances as a huge amateur ‘tell’.
“poker tells … actions, either physical or verbal … players make … that might give away information about the strength of their hands.
https://www.pokernews.com/strategy/10-hold-em-tips-5-common-poker-tells-to-look-for-25433.htm
Note that the ‘walking back’ is badly camouflaged by widening the study to the entire Pacific population of corals of the various types. This subterfuge is to avoid changing their own position directly on the GBR, but if necessary, they can point to this paper to cover bums when real data would proove them wrong.
This cowardly paper can be 100% attributable to the dissent of Peter Ridd coupled with the examinations of key reef locations by Jennifer Morahasy showing The Cook Coral Shnook Center of Excrescence are wrong.
I think the age old method of measuring coral growth by coring large masses to reveal annual growth rates, which was abandoned by the Shnooks (another ‘tell’) and which Jennifer planned to undertake struck terror into their Excrescent hearts. This ‘Bayesian’ tell is a measure of the unspoken collective “errors” of their marxysparxy studies.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we start to deceive.” Will Shakespeare, Macbeth
The healthiest corals on earth are ALWAYS found in the warmest ocean waters. While coral does grow in cold waters, these are not reef building corals.
What kills corals is mostly human activity. For example, the crown of thorns. Humans collect the giant triton, which increases the crown of thorns.
quote:
Crown of thorns starfish are responsible for more than half of all coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists are looking for ways to use their natural enemy, the giant triton, to disperse the starfish. Source: AIMS http://ow.ly/nKjZ303uQp6
AIMS http://ow.ly/nKjZ303uQp6
AIMS is a Commonwealth statutory authority established by the Australian Institute of Marine Science Act 1972.
So, it appears that the Australian Government’s own research institute says that more than half of all coral loss on the great barrier reef is due to starfish. Which is at odds with the notion that it is due to global warming.
The starfish problem is a result of demand for the giant triton shells, which are impressive on display. Often seen on the mantle over the fireplace rather than on the reef hunting starfish.
Most collector didn’t set out to create a problem. They simply didn’t recognize the harm that might result from commercial harvesting.
Giant Triton (oceana.org)
The giant triton is a very large marine snail that can reach sizes of one and a half feet long (0.5 m). …
It prefers to eat other snails and sea stars, most notably the crown-of-thorns starfish. Large outbreaks of the crown-of-thorn starfish, which feed on reef-building corals, are known to threaten the health of coral reefs. The giant triton is one of the only natural predators of that starfish. …
Though the giant triton is thought to be a key species in limiting potential outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish, it is collected at many places around the world because its shell is valuable as a trade good. They are often sold in shops or markets in popular tourism destinations in the tropics.
Using maps and counting coral populations in those maps is absurd.
Meaning their “roughly half a trillion corals in the Pacific alone” estimate is likely short many magnitudes.
Classic how many angels can fit on the head of this pin nonsense.
For allegedly walking back their absurd claims, this pronouncement is embellished with far too many immediate dooms and worries. “Ecologically devastating” claim that is pure hubris allows Cook U the deific ability to fantasize coral population counts and simultaneously predict their imminent dooms.
Yeah, riight.
Take them to the Cleaners Dr. Ridd!
Of all the claims about the impacts of climate change imminent coral extinction has been the most ridiculous. These coral systems have survived for millennia through all kinds of changing climate conditions but we’re being asked to believe that 2 degrees of warming in 100 years will destroy these vibrant ecosystems. You don’t need a science degree to understand the implausibility of such a claim just an ounce of common sense.
Starfish eating corals is just the tip of the iceberg!
Kangaroos eat the grass, and the Koalas eat the leaves!
In ten years all the grass and leaves will be gone … forever!
It’s a catastrophe!
What if CO2 makes the trees and the grass ‘acidify’ to a pH of 7.8?
10 years … max!
Look at how many coral reefs there are west and eastern side of Australia and Asia Pacific Region generally, and then consider that the climate hoaxers concentrate on the Great Barrier Reef Queensland, east coast.
Answer: It’s known world wide and has become a major tourist destination.
Selective deception.