{"id":342771,"date":"2024-09-12T11:19:46","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=342771"},"modified":"2024-09-12T11:19:48","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:19:48","slug":"return-to-myrmidon-part-1-inaugural-megafauna-expedition-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=342771","title":{"rendered":"Return to Myrmidon, Part 1. Inaugural Megafauna Expedition, September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

From Jennifer Marohasy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0jennifer<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is it that Australia\u2019s Great Barrier Reef is still one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and visible from outer space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is it that we can revisit the corals at Myrmidon Reef \u2013 an ancient, detached platform existing beyond the barrier reef proper, exposed to the full force of the Pacific Ocean \u2013 it persists, essentially unchanged season after season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Aerial looking towards the Garden of Porites and the MV Sea Esta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite claims of repeated mass coral bleaching and the reality of severe tropical cyclones, this reef, Myrmidon reef is little changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its waters are still warm and clear \u2013 crystal clear.  In the \u2018Garden of Porites\u2019, in the back lagoon, there are still monster corals more than 3 metres in diameter.  These colonies persist as blocks, each of one colour: in olive green, or brilliant blue, while others are a golden yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we acknowledge the size and strength of these corals.  What can we learn from them?  What makes this coral reef, and so many others at the Great Barrier Reef so resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

After my first visit to Myrmidon Reef, on December 1, 2020 with Shaun Frichette and Stuart Ireland I penned something about that experience, and the shark, \u2019tis here.<\/a>   That was four years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the photographs in this post were taken by Stuart Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feature photograph is of Simon Fenwick in the Garden of Porites at Myrmidon Reef on Friday, 6th September 2024.  Simon is a Sydney-based philanthropist who sponsored the charter of the MV Sea Esta for the inaugural Megafauna Expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

How is it that Australia\u2019s Great Barrier Reef is still one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and visible from outer space.<\/p>\n

How is it that we can revisit the corals at Myrmidon Reef \u2013 an ancient, detached platform existing beyond the barrier reef proper, exposed to the full force of the Pacific Ocean \u2013 it persists, essentially unchanged season after season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":342772,"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":[691830562,691818100,691830561,691829635],"class_list":{"0":"post-342771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-garden-of-porites","9":"tag-great-barrier-reef","10":"tag-inaugural-megafauna","11":"tag-myrmidon-reef","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0Feature-DSC07419.jpg?fit=2048%2C1152&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1raz","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":343604,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=343604","url_meta":{"origin":342771,"position":0},"title":"Diving the North Wall, Myrmidon Reef, Part 4. 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Inaugural Megafauna Expedition, September 2024 \u00a0","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"How do we know that in the back lagoon at Myrmidon Reef there are some massive bolder corals \u2013 immovable, representing layer upon layer of calcium carbonate laid down year after year, back more than 300 years. And so healthy; in various shades of green and blue and, also golden.","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\/09\/image-281.png?fit=768%2C491&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-281.png?fit=768%2C491&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-281.png?fit=768%2C491&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-281.png?fit=768%2C491&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":337247,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337247","url_meta":{"origin":342771,"position":2},"title":"In Search of Bump Heads","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"23\/07\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The first time I saw a group of them I was far to the east of the Great Barrier Reef, beyond Australia\u2019s continental shelf, 15 metres underwater at Bougainville Reef that rises as a platform in the northern Coral Sea.","rel":"","context":"In \"Bolbometopon muricatum\"","block_context":{"text":"Bolbometopon muricatum","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bolbometopon-muricatum"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Tobi-221A0677-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Tobi-221A0677-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Tobi-221A0677-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Tobi-221A0677-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Tobi-221A0677-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":317694,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=317694","url_meta":{"origin":342771,"position":3},"title":"Water Temperatures, Central Great Barrier Reef & Aren\u2019t the Oceans Warming","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"15\/04\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I was at John Brewer reef earlier in the month, and so I checked the AIMS (Australian Institute of Marine Science) water temperature data for this location. The most up-to-date information is to February 7, 2024, and has been measured at 9 metres. It begins February 1, 2016, thus giving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Central Great Barrier Reef\"","block_context":{"text":"Central Great Barrier Reef","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=central-great-barrier-reef"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0240405_J-BREWER_-S.Ireland31-Annotated-1.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\/0240405_J-BREWER_-S.Ireland31-Annotated-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0240405_J-BREWER_-S.Ireland31-Annotated-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0240405_J-BREWER_-S.Ireland31-Annotated-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/0240405_J-BREWER_-S.Ireland31-Annotated-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338393,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=338393","url_meta":{"origin":342771,"position":4},"title":"Announcing the Five Megafauna Photographers","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/08\/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":208614,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=208614","url_meta":{"origin":342771,"position":5},"title":"Knowing the Great Barrier Reef \u2013 Two New Short Documentaries \u2014 Jennifer Marohasy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"15\/07\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It is a risk, and it is expensive, deciding to make a film about something way offshore and underwater. I\u2019ve done it twice now \u2013 with both films showing at the New Farm Cinemas (701 Brunswick Street) in Brisbane on Sunday July 24 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $20 general\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0LEO7441-copy-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C746&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0LEO7441-copy-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C746&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0LEO7441-copy-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C746&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0LEO7441-copy-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C746&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/0LEO7441-copy-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C746&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342771","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=342771"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342784,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342771\/revisions\/342784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/342772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=342771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=342771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=342771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}