Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Cyclone adds to Barrier Reef's flood woes
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Cyclone adds to Barrier Reef's flood woes
AFP - Sunday, February 6
Send
IM Story
Print
Cyclone adds to Barrier Reef's flood woes
SYDNEY (AFP) - – Hammered by a monster cyclone just weeks after flooding spewed toxic waste into its pristine waters, Australia's Great Barrier Reef could face a slow recovery due to climate change, experts warn.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, a top-category storm, ripped through Australia's northeast tourist coast Thursday, levelling houses and decimating crops as it hit land near the city of Cairns, gateway to the Reef.
Though it is too early to assess the extent of the damage, marine experts said the sprawling coral structure was bound to have been harmed by Yasi's blistering 290 kilometre (180 mile) per hour winds.
"Cyclones do damage reefs," Nick Graham, a senior research fellow at James Cook University, told AFP.
"They tend to be be particularly damaging in shallow waters, so they can break corals and kill areas of live coral, so you get a reduction of coral cover.... And that then can have a knock-on effect," Graham said.
The world's largest living organism, which stretches for 345,000 square kilometres (133,000 square miles) off Australia's northeast coast, was already suffering after last month's record flooding washed a mucky cocktail of debris, sediment, pesticides and other run-off out to sea.
Storms such as Yasi have the power to reduce reefs to rubble and wreak severe damage on living corals.
Smashed fragments have already begun washing up on Australian beaches, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, who estimate that recovery could take 10 years.
"Cyclones are regular events and do affect the coral reef ecosystem dramatically," said the authority's chairman Russell Reichelt.
"However, they tend to be localised to a specific area, compared to other large-scale effects such as mass coral bleaching caused by climate change."
Cyclones are a fact of life on the reef -- there were 55 between 1969 and 1997 according to a recent study -- but warming and acidification of the ocean linked to climate change have both increased their frequency and left corals more vulnerable.
"What normally would have recovered in the past in many other places in the world takes a long time because the reefs are not optimal; they don't have a lot of resilience," said Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldenburg, Director of Queensland University's Global Change Institute.
"The second thing that is happening is that as we heat the oceans through global warming, we are increasing the frequency of mega cyclones like Yasi.... which potentially, given (the) circumstances, can have really big impacts on coral reefs, reducing their ability to bounce back."
Coral growth has slowed markedly on the reef since 1990 and parts of it have suffered severe bleaching due to rising sea temperatures and acidity that kill its plant-like organisms, leaving just the white limestone skeleton.
Overall, both this and cyclone damage are symptoms of worsening and dangerous climate change, said John Merson, from the University of New South Wales.
"I think probably more damage is being done (to the reef) by the rising temperature in the ocean which is causing the cyclone, as well as the reef to be damaged," said Merson.
"The other question is the complete lack of attention being given to the fact that we have a category five cyclone because we have climate change, yet we completely ignore this factor in the whole thing.
"The same thing -- the heating of the water -- is going to increase coral bleaching which will knock out the reef in the long term anyway."
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Philippines 'seriously concerned' over rebel split AFP - 40 minutes ago
US envoy on N.Korea rights to visit Seoul AFP - 59 minutes ago
Tongan ferry deaths trial moved to parliament AFP - 1 hour 18 minutes ago
Rival Koreas gear up for talks this week to ease tension Reuters - 1 hour 20 minutes ago
Italy cruise to Fed Cup victory over Australia AFP - 2 hours 6 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
'Inception,' 'The Social Network' win WGA awards
Four dead in fresh Tunisia unrest
Are brains shrinking to make us smarter?
Egypt ruling party executive committee resigns: TV
Obama urges entrepreneurial focus on America
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
US golfer Woods finds old habits hard to shake
Russia loses military satellite: reports
US auto sales jump 17 percent in January
Dow closes over 12,000 for first time since June 2008
Egypt's Mubarak to step down at September election
More Most Viewed »
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Sunday, 6 February 2011 Iraqi premier says will give up half his salary
Intellectuals join anti-Berlusconi rally
Sicily couple murdered man with butter
China's Tencent buys US Riot Games majority stake
Ahmadinejad chides parliament for sacking minister
Obama urges entrepreneurial focus on America
Two dead after Tunisian police fire at protesters
|
US, Russia launch nuclear arms reduction pact
Israel, Jordan gas cut after Egypt pipeline attack
Ivory Coast Gbagbo backers protest against African Union
|
Hitler aide Bormann 'escaped to Latin America'
Two soldiers killed in Afghanistan bombings
Music Manager Johnny Wright debuts online star search "On the Spot"
Sudan's Bashir vows freedoms and open government
|
Bruno Mars' "Grenade" edges out Pink for another week at #1 on Billboard Hot 100
Sudan shootout kills 20, army warns of more clashes
Amos Lee earns first ever #1 album on Billboard with "Mission Blues"
Saboteurs attack Egypt-Israel gas pipeline
Bombs kill 2 NATO troops in southern Afghanistan
Intellectuals lead Milan rally against Berlusconi
|
U.S. and Russia cap 'reset' in ties with START treaty
Pennetta keeps Italy in Fed Cup tie
Kazakhstan secure top place in Asiad medal table
Pakistan trio handed lengthy corruption bans
Three Pakistan cricketers banned for 5 to 10 years
Obama joins protesters in calling for Mubarak's resignation
Indian students fiasco in the U.S.: Present Imperfect, Future Indefinite
Customs searches flower imports for insects and cocaine
Conservationists seek to stop slaughter of Yellowstone bison
Verizon stops iPhone sales after supply bought out
Clorox 2Q profit down 80 percent as germ-killer demand drops post-H1N1
Arctic air visits Deep South, brings more bad weather
Gunman in custody after hijacking Greyhound bus with 34 passengers
U.S. employment figures inch up in January as Bernanke hopeful
Pamela Anderson auctions off herself at this year's SuperBash
Yemen denies cyber-attacks on Saleh website
Facebook photos swiped for dating website
WikiLeaks bares smuggling of U.S. uranium bricks in Philippines
News Corp. launches iPad-only newspaper app
Flickr staff accidentally deletes subscribers account, 4,000 photos
Israeli or Palestinian? Umm Al-Faham Residents Are Divided
U.K. immigration officer fired after putting wife's name on terror watch list
Mubarak forms new government as protesters plan bigger rally, strike
Government aims to get Egyptians back to work
Govt. mulls new tax on non-domiciles: report
Nasdaq hit by hackers
Egyptian government in talks with Muslim Brotherhood
Four dead in fresh Tunisia unrest
US-TECH Summary
Government aims to get Egyptians back to work
|
Opposition divided over Egypt's power shift plan
Are brains shrinking to make us smarter?
Two dead as Tunisian police fires on protesters
|
Egypt gas pipeline attacked, Israel, Jordan flow hit
Egypt ruling party executive committee resigns: TV
Iraq PM pledges not to seek third term
Sudan's Bashir vows freedoms and open government
|
Israel, Jordan gas cut after Egypt pipeline attack
Rival Koreas gear up for talks this week to ease tension
|
Top leadership quits Egypt ruling party
Saudi women protest, web activists call for reform
Business executives killed in Iraq plane crash
Sudan's Bashir vows freedoms and open government
Tongan ferry deaths trial moved to parliament
Rival Koreas gear up for talks this week to ease tension
'Inception,' 'The Social Network' win WGA awards
Italy cruise to Fed Cup victory over Australia
Fires and floods hammer Australia
US 'spies' go on trial in Iran
Despite China, US violin-makers second fiddle to none
Chinese vessel 'not hijacked': state media
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
'Inception,' 'The Social Network' win WGA awards
Sumo spring tournament cancelled in corruption crisis
Coal stoves coat Mongolian capital in smog
Cyclone adds to Barrier Reef's flood woes
New approach brings US homeless in from the cold
Ex-leader of brutal Japan far-left group dies: reports
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Philippines 'seriously concerned' over rebel split
Writers Guild honors "Social Network," "Inception"
Higher food prices here to stay: analysts
Internet helps museums net new art lovers
Fast-growing India facing unemployment 'bomb'
Lindsay Lohan denies jewelry theft, her lawyer says
China, Japan, S. Korea to sign investment accord
Bottle of 1773 French wine fetches record price
Famous faces lend voice to Egypt's protests
Italian maestro Muti broke jaw at Chicago rehearsal
Writers Guild honors Social Network, Inception
|
Lindsay Lohan denies jewelry theft, her lawyer says
|
Famous faces lend voice to Egypt's protests
|
Moscow police comb train stations after bomb threat
Citi to call the tune on EMI future
Two Americans deny spy charges in Iranian court
|
'Inception,' 'The Social Network' win WGA awards
Kuwait accepts interior minister resignation: report
|
Karzai to announce Afghan handover start March 21
|
Russian airport bomber named
|
U.N., West warn rushed Egypt change a risk to Mideast
|
Man tries to set himself on fire at Algeria protest
|
Indonesia mob attacks 'heretic' Muslims, kills 3
Thai and Cambodia troops clash again on disputed border
|
Cheney calls Mubarak a good friend, US ally
Iraqis demonstrate over lack of basic services
|
Renewed Thai-Cambodian border fighting: army
Religious clash in Indonesia kills up to six: report
Record lotto sales and jackpot to be set soon
Thousands of persecuted Indians illegally entering into US: Report
Where som tum gets sensational
Google CEO says wants to avoid long EU probe: report
|
Indonesia appoints noted lawyer to defend Komodo against New7Wonders
Bunnies face uncertain future as pets in Year of Rabbit
Egypt move revives US 'kill switch' debate
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights