{"id":273307,"date":"2023-08-13T20:32:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T18:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=273307"},"modified":"2023-08-13T20:32:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T18:32:43","slug":"barrier-reef-great-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=273307","title":{"rendered":"Barrier Reef Great\u00a0Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"273322\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273322\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1365\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0shutterstock_269208791\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"http:\/\/rclutz.com\/\">Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rclutz.com\/author\/ronaldrc\/\">Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g-MdiE7gfmY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br><em>A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous, microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last night I watched an extraordinary netflix documentary which took us on a journey discovering the rich variety of reef life, including microscopic creatures not shown in videos before. It was highly educational and thoroughly delightful . . . until suddenly it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Spoiler Alert:\u00a0 Puff returns as an adult to the reef where he was born after leaving it to mature in a mangrove marsh.\u00a0 Alas, he finds the coral dead and blackened, and the narrator warns us:\u00a0 Warming oceans kiiled the reef and we must change the way we live for the sake of Puff and the other reef creatures.\u00a0 There may have been more to the fire and brimstone ending, but I was so turned off that I turned it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why must nature documentaries resort to doomsday guilt trips to destroy any good feelings about our world?\u00a0 Chris Morrison provides the antidote in his Daily Sceptic article<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailysceptic.org\/2023\/08\/10\/coral-at-the-great-barrier-reef-holds-on-to-recent-record-gains-defying-all-doomsday-predictions\/?highlight=reef\">\u00a0Coral at the Great Barrier Reef Holds on to Recent Record Gains, Defying All Doomsday Predictions<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Excerpts in italics with my bolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"273310\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273310\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-537.png?fit=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"768,432\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-537\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-537.png?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-537.png?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-537.png?w=768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-537.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Coral at the\u00a0<strong>Great Barrier Reef (GBR) faces another year of exile from the climate scare headlines<\/strong>\u00a0with news that the\u00a0<strong>record levels reported in 2021-22 have been sustained<\/strong>\u00a0in the latest annual period to May 2023. A small drop in the three main areas of the reef was well within margin of error territory, with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) reporting that regional average\u00a0<strong>hard coral cover in 2022-2023 was similar to last year at 35.7%. Most reefs underwent little change during the year.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Coral<\/strong>\u00a0at the reef has been\u00a0<strong>bouncing back sharply for a number of years,<\/strong>\u00a0with a record 36-year high reported in 2022. But the news of this spectacular recovery has been largely<strong>\u00a0ignored in most media<\/strong>\u00a0since it had previously been\u00a0<strong>a go-to poster scare story<\/strong>\u00a0for collectivist Net Zero promoters. But connecting the fate of\u00a0<strong>tropical corals<\/strong>\u00a0to global warming was always a difficult ask since they\u00a0<strong>grow in waters between 24-32\u00b0C.<\/strong>\u00a0Short boosts in local temperatures can cause<strong>\u00a0temporary bleaching, but it is scientifically impossible to pin it on human-caused climate change,<\/strong>\u00a0although pseudoscientific \u2018attribution\u2019 computer models try very hard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#e81515\" class=\"has-inline-color\">In the latest year, there was a short local temperature rise,<br>but little bleaching was reported during the 2023 summer.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>No cyclones<\/strong>\u00a0hit the reef and crown-of thorns\u00a0<strong>starfish attacks were limited<\/strong>. Nevertheless,\u00a0<strong>natural stresses<\/strong>\u00a0will always affect the eco-system and AIMS states that these\u00a0<strong>paused the growth of hard coral on some of the reefs.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Like most state-funded scientific bodies, The Australian Institute of Marine Science (<strong>AIMS) is fully signed up to climate extremism<\/strong>\u00a0and delivering\u00a0<strong>politically correct messages to promote the Net Zero<\/strong>\u00a0solution.\u00a0<strong>Despite<\/strong>\u00a0reporting what is now\u00a0<strong>a substantial multi-year recovery,<\/strong>\u00a0it notes that the<strong>\u00a0future is predicted to bring<\/strong>\u00a0more frequent, intense and enduring\u00a0<strong>marine heatwaves<\/strong>, alongside the persistent threat of crown-of thorns starfish outbreaks and tropical cyclones. More frequent mass coral bleaching is a sign that the GBR is experiencing the consequences of climate change, it claims.\u00a0<strong>However<\/strong>, in a different part of its latest report, AIMS accepts that the recent\u00a0<strong>substantial recovery occurred despite two mass coral bleaching events in 2020 and 2022.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#e81515\" class=\"has-inline-color\">There is an acceptance that this underlines that \u201cwidespread coral bleaching<br>does not necessarily lead to extensive coral mortality\u201d.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>But pockets of extremist catastrophism remain in the\u00a0<strong>mainstream media<\/strong>, notably in the\u00a0<strong>Guardian<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>fighting to keep the coral destruction story going<\/strong>. A year ago, the newspaper reported that the GBR still had \u201csome capacity\u201d for recovery, but<strong>\u00a0the window was closing fast as the climate continued to warm.<\/strong>\u00a0Of course the Guardian has form as long as your arm on this score. Back in 1999, George Monbiot told its readers that the \u201cimminent total destruction of the world\u2019s coral reefs is not a scare story but a fact\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Coral reefs<\/strong>\u00a0have been around in one form or another\u00a0<strong>for hundreds of millions of years.<\/strong>\u00a0Current global temperatures are towards the lower end of the paleoclimatic record. One might wonder\u00a0<strong>how corals manage to survive temperatures up to 10\u00b0C higher in the past?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#e81515\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Back in the real world, we can see how the recent solid recovery<br>was sustained across the three main areas of the GBR.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"273314\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273314\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-538.png?fit=554%2C363&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"554,363\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-538\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-538.png?fit=554%2C363&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-538.png?resize=723%2C474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273314\" style=\"width:760px;height:498px\" width=\"723\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-538.png?w=554&amp;ssl=1 554w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-538.png?resize=300%2C197&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The recovery in the northern GBR actually started around 2017<\/strong>. Last year the coral declined slightly from 36.5% to 35.7%, and was easily within the margin of error calculated by the AIMS. Typhoon Tiffany passed through at the end of the previous reporting season, and could have been responsible for some loss.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"273315\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273315\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-539.png?fit=556%2C364&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"556,364\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-539\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-539.png?fit=556%2C364&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-539.png?resize=723%2C473&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273315\" style=\"width:758px;height:496px\" width=\"723\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-539.png?w=556&amp;ssl=1 556w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-539.png?resize=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>In the centre of the reef, the\u00a0<strong>strong recovery of hard coral cover to 32.6% last year eased slightly,<\/strong>\u00a0but again, as the AIMS noted, it was within the margin of error.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"273316\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273316\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-540.png?fit=554%2C363&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"554,363\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-540\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-540.png?fit=554%2C363&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-540.png?resize=723%2C473&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273316\" style=\"width:762px;height:499px\" width=\"723\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-540.png?w=554&amp;ssl=1 554w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-540.png?resize=300%2C197&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The southern end of the GBR<\/strong>\u00a0has generally had higher coral cover than elsewhere, but has shown\u00a0<strong>greater variability<\/strong>\u00a0over the observed record. Last year\u2019s cover was 33.8%, compared with 33.9% the year before.\u00a0<strong>Some<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>coral<\/strong>\u00a0was reported to have been\u00a0<strong>lost due to starfish predations.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"273318\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273318\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-541.png?fit=640%2C461&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,461\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-541\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-541.png?fit=640%2C461&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-541.png?resize=723%2C521&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273318\" style=\"width:759px;height:547px\" width=\"723\" height=\"521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-541.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-541.png?resize=300%2C216&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#e81515\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The GBR is the largest reef system on Earth and runs for<br>over 1,400 miles down the eastern side of Australia.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>It is also the<strong>\u00a0most surveyed reef<\/strong>\u00a0in the world and the results of scientific endeavour are widely distributed. While this work is often politicised, it is clear that recent evidence shows that<strong>\u00a0temporary spikes in temperature, which occur naturally in the oceans, can cause bleaching<\/strong>. However, this bleaching\u00a0<strong>process can rapidly go into reverse<\/strong>\u00a0when local conditions stabilise. These findings have been\u00a0<strong>confirmed elsewhere<\/strong>, notably in the remote Palmyra Atoll, 1,200 kms south of Hawaii. A 10-year survey recently observed sudden changes in temperature up to 3\u00b0C on two occasions, leading to substantial damage to the coral. A 2015-16 spike led to 90% of the coral bleaching, but the researchers found that within a year only 10% of the coral had died. Within two years, the corals had returned to pre-bleached levels.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#e81515\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The researchers concluded that the coral structures<br>\u201cshow evidence of long-term stability\u201d<br>\u2013 but don\u2019t expect to see that on the front page.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"273320\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=273320\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?fit=2500%2C1406&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1406\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-542\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-273320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-542.png?w=2169&amp;ssl=1 2169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Palmyra Atoll, 1,200 kms south of Hawaii.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spoiler Alert:\u00a0 Puff returns as an adult to the reef where he was born after leaving it to mature in a mangrove marsh.\u00a0 Alas, he finds the coral dead and blackened, and the narrator warns us:\u00a0 Warming oceans kiiled the reef and we must change the way we live for the sake of Puff and the other reef creatures.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":273322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691821815,691819377,691818100],"class_list":{"0":"post-273307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-scare-headlines","9":"tag-coral","10":"tag-great-barrier-reef","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0shutterstock_269208791.jpg?fit=2048%2C1365&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-196b","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":278182,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=278182","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":0},"title":"Australia Academy of Science Now a Woke\u00a0Joke","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Australian Academy of Science is now a joke.","rel":"","context":"In \"anti-scientific\"","block_context":{"text":"anti-scientific","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=anti-scientific"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-319.png?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-319.png?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-319.png?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-319.png?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-319.png?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338393,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338393","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":1},"title":"Announcing the Five Megafauna Photographers","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/03\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Great Barrier Reef has become a global symbol of manmade climate change. Along with this has come a focus on corals, and a believe that they are mostly small, fragile and bleached. In fact, species of Porites are the foundation of most coral reefs. These corals are often very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Corals\"","block_context":{"text":"Corals","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=corals"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Manta_1798182817-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Manta_1798182817-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Manta_1798182817-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Manta_1798182817-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Manta_1798182817-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":334795,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=334795","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":2},"title":"Denying the Reef Crest \u2013 Before and After the Cyclone","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/27\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I first visited John Brewer Reef on 10th\u00a0April 2022, it was being reported in newspapers around the world as badly bleached \u2013 part of a sixth mass coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef.","rel":"","context":"In \"Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)\"","block_context":{"text":"Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=australian-institute-of-marine-science-aims"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0P5060072.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0P5060072.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0P5060072.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0P5060072.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0P5060072.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":335871,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=335871","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":3},"title":"Cyclone Causes Increase in Coral Cover \u2013 If You Believe Their Nonsense Number","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/08\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"If you believe Bjorn Lomborg, we have record high coral cover and we can fix climate change. Both are nonsense propositions. In fact, this last year has been devastating for many reef ecosystems because of weather events that are part of natural climate cycles.","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0F-P2150129-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0F-P2150129-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0F-P2150129-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0F-P2150129-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0F-P2150129-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":335589,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=335589","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":4},"title":"How Things Change \u2013 the Weather and Coral Cover","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/05\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"For sure the Great Barrier Reef will recover. But it is also important to acknowledge that the famous coral, that featured in our short film \u2018Cafe Latte Coral\u2019, it is important to acknowledge that earlier this year it was ripped from the reef crest, lifted-up, turned-over and drop-over the edge.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"coral cover\"","block_context":{"text":"coral cover","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coral-cover"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Annotated-P4190210-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Annotated-P4190210-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Annotated-P4190210-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Annotated-P4190210-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Annotated-P4190210-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":317396,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=317396","url_meta":{"origin":273307,"position":5},"title":"Part 3.\u00a0 New Growth \u2013 Central Great Barrier Reef, April 2024","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/11\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There might be 3,000 coral reefs but what makes a special reef, what makes John Brewer Reef the jewel in the crown considering the central region of the Great Barrier Reef \u2013 something of greater value amongst other valuable things?","rel":"","context":"In \"Coral reefs\"","block_context":{"text":"Coral reefs","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coral-reefs"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Chandaliers-UWR05330.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Chandaliers-UWR05330.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Chandaliers-UWR05330.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Chandaliers-UWR05330.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0Chandaliers-UWR05330.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=273307"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273323,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273307\/revisions\/273323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/273322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=273307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=273307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=273307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}