{"id":309528,"date":"2024-03-17T09:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T08:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=309528"},"modified":"2024-03-17T09:33:26","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T08:33:26","slug":"fancy-fins-didnt-help-with-the-visibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=309528","title":{"rendered":"Fancy Fins Didn\u2019t Help with the Visibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the mainstream media it\u2019s the southern Great Barrier Reef that has been hit hardest with coral bleaching, and particularly the corals in the Capricorn region that includes Great Keppel Island.\u00a0\u00a0 I have a home in Yeppoon, which is just a short ferry ride away. I have been keen to go see for myself, but the weather has been less than ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking down at the ferry anchored in Fisherman\u2019s Beach bay, Great Keppel Island. The water is looking rather grey-blue, because the sun is behind a cloud. (Photograph taken by Jennifer Marohasy, 15th March 2024.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The dive shop on the island has been telling me there is some bleaching, but it\u2019s hard to see because visibility is a problem.  That has been the situation for the last week \u2013 since John Abbot and I drove back to Yeppoon from Noosa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By \u2018visibility\u2019 they mean the distance one can see under-the-water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, Friday, I nevertheless caught the ferry across to the island and made my way around to Monkey Beach reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great Keppel Island is located just to the northeast of the mouth of the Fitzroy River, so when there is a lot of wind and particularly a lot of rain, the water can become murky to the extent you cannot see the corals even if they are just, one metres below, which was the situation yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Just got out of the water at Monkey Beach, the reef is a good distance out, and visibility was so bad I couldn\u2019t see the corals. \u00a0The water nevertheless looked very blue from the beach when the sun was out. \u00a0(Photograph taken yesterday, 15th March 2024.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The view from Wreck Point, Yeppoon, looking across Keppel Bay to Rossyln Bay marina and beyond to Great Keppel Island far in the distance on the horizon. The water at the moment is so muddy in the bay. \u00a0At other times of the year and depending on wind direction this bay can be so blue. (Photograph by Jennifer Marohasy, 16th March 2024.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the coral bleaching has been blamed on elevated sea temperatures, which may be the situation, it\u2019s hard to know for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coral bleaching could be from freshwater runoff, from the Fitzroy River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fitzroy River drains the single largest area (approximately 143,000 km2) of the Great Barrier Reef catchments and discharges into the largest estuary and then into Keppel Bay. The Keppel Islands within the bay have many fringing inshore coral reefs, including Monkey Bay reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I look at the data for Rosslyn Bay marina, just across from the island and around the bay from where I live in Yeppoon, the most remarkable thing is the drop in sea-level at the end of last year, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Note the monthly data for Rosslyn Bay Marina, just across from Great Keppel Island.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
From The Australian Bureau of Meteorology\u2019s Australian Baseline Sea Level Monitoring Array Monthly Data Report \u2013 December 2023. The most recent report available as at March 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Low tides associated with low sea levels can also cause corals to bleach; particularly if the low tides occur on sunny days when there is significant incoming solar radiation and not much wave action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower than usual sea levels are perhaps due to the El Nino, with all the water sloshing across to the other side of the Pacific because the trade winds haven\u2019t been blowing as hard as usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sooner or later, I will get back out to Monkey Beach reef, and I will report what I see, once visibility has improved and I can see the corals again.  In the meantime, consider subscribing for my irregular email newsletter so that I can keep you in the loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subscribe here:\u00a0https:\/\/jennifermarohasy.com\/subscribe\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To get to Monkey Beach reef I had to walk across the island from the southern end of Fisherman\u2019s Beach all the way to Long Beach and then cut across that headland back to Monkey Beach. The more direct route is badly eroded, and not maintained. \u00a0Photograph of Long Beach by Jennifer Marohasy, 15th March 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The walking tracks on Great Keppel Island are in disrepair. This map shows theoretically how it should be, https:\/\/hikingtheworld.blog\/national_park\/woppa-great-keppel-island\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can anyone find me some location specific up-to-date sea temperature data for anywhere at the Great Barrier Reef?\u00a0 Not the colour maps, that are variously based on homogenised satellite records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Acropora (branching hard corals) and painted sweetlip (fish) photographed at Monkey Beach reef on 28th December 2023, by Jennifer Marohasy when visibility was much better.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Acropora corals at Monkey Beach reef, December 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*****<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feature photograph is of Jennifer Marohasy sitting in Fisherman\u2019s Beach waiting for the ferry later in the afternoon on 15th March 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the mainstream media it\u2019s the southern Great Barrier Reef that has been hit hardest with coral bleaching, and particularly the corals in the Capricorn region that includes Great Keppel Island.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":309529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","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_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"According to the mainstream media it\u2019s the southern Great Barrier Reef that has been hit hardest with coral bleaching, and particularly the corals in the Capricorn region that includes Great Keppel Island.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"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":[691820648,691818100,691827645,691820424],"class_list":["post-309528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-coral-reefs","tag-great-barrier-reef","tag-monkey-beach-reef","tag-temperatures","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image-189.png?fit=2048%2C1449&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1iwo","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":344772,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=344772","url_meta":{"origin":309528,"position":0},"title":"All the Dead Coral from the Bleaching. \u00a0Part 4.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/01\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Self-censoring is a real thing \u2013 that I refuse to engage in. 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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":258256,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258256","url_meta":{"origin":309528,"position":2},"title":"Coral Snapshot 2022-23, & All the Unanswered Questions","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/20\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Full marks to David Mills, writing in the Courier Mail, for asking why the government tends to bury good news reports about the Great Barrier Reef.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0JB-April2022-_LEO7407.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0JB-April2022-_LEO7407.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0JB-April2022-_LEO7407.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0JB-April2022-_LEO7407.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0JB-April2022-_LEO7407.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":319930,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=319930","url_meta":{"origin":309528,"position":3},"title":"Stark White \u2013 Fields of Bleached Acropora, Great Keppel Island","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/22\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Scuba tank on my back, I rolled backwards off the Keppel Dive boat at Bald Rock reef yesterday into the ocean. 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So, for example, she could add\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Acropora\"","block_context":{"text":"Acropora","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=acropora"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/00side-by-side-2048x874-1.png?fit=1200%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/00side-by-side-2048x874-1.png?fit=1200%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/00side-by-side-2048x874-1.png?fit=1200%2C512&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/00side-by-side-2048x874-1.png?fit=1200%2C512&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/00side-by-side-2048x874-1.png?fit=1200%2C512&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":321805,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=321805","url_meta":{"origin":309528,"position":5},"title":"Wrecked. 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