20 Jun 2007 - My name
is Linda Morton and I am 53 years old and
have lived in Boise, Idaho for 22 years.
Currently I work as a Lactation Consultant
and Public Health Nutritionists for a local
hospital. I feel my purpose in life through
beautiful, natural environments so like
to spend time outdoors rafting, skiing,
hiking, and bird watching.
Over the past 10 years, my husband and
I have travelled to the Cook Islands because
of its gentle people and culture, the magnificence
of the beaches and water, and the opportunity
to spend time outdoors.
I felt compelled to be a "climate
witness" on a dramatic event I observed
about a year ago while snorkelling in the
lagoon on Aitutaki and Rarotonga. I have
been travelling to the Cook Islands over
the past 10 years, and these changes seemed
interesting and concerning.
Aitutaki Observation:
I was on Aitutaki for a week in 2006 and
for several days in April, 2006, I spent
hours observing this most beautiful "field"
of magenta colored coral. It was breath
taking. I had never seen coral quite so
abundant and beautiful. On my last day on
Aitutaki, I went to observe the coral field
one last time and the entire group of coral
had turned bright white---no color at all.
From one afternoon to the next, the coral
changed. One year later, this striking change
is still very clear in my mind, and has
seemed disturbing to me, so I thought I
would send this story to you. From your
website descriptions, it sounds like this
striking change in color could be the result
of a change in water temperature and possibly
related to global warming.
Could a water temperature change cause
such a dramatic overnight change this quickly,
or was what I observed some natural cycle
for coral that I was just lucky to have
observed?
Rarotonga Observation:
In general, there was much less colorful
coral; many more "grey rocks"
in the lagoon which I believe were remnants
of dead coral; and the water seemed much
less clear.
If these changes I observed could be related
to climate changes resulting from global
warming, please let me know how I can get
involved in any Cook Island projects. We
will be returning to the Cook Islands over
the coming years, and I would be interested
in observing and reporting what I observe
in a more scientific way, if the data is
useful to someone. Please advise as to how
I can be involved in Cook Island work.
Scientific Background
The observations Linda describes for Aitutaki
are consistent with the response of corals
to physiological stresses. Given the relatively
pristine nature of the Aitutaki lagoon,
it is quite possible that the observed event
was the result of high sea surface temperatures
and/or excessive sunlight. The observations
are thus consistent with peer-reviewed literature
describing climate-related impacts already
being experienced by reef ecosystems.
The observations for Rarotonga reflect
past bleaching events and highlight the
delayed recovery of such reef systems when
they are suffer stresses, including high
pollutant loadings and high sedimentation
rates. The latter may be related to climate
conditions, but indirectly.
Based on the information provided, my conclusion
is that the observations for Aitutaki in
particular appear somewhat consistent with
peer-reviewed literature about climate impacts
already happening today.
A paper by Ainsworth et al. which provides
additional background information can be
downloaded from the website of the new Australian
Research Council Centre for Excellence for
Coral Reef Studies http://www.coralcoe.org.au/
Over 200 pdfs of their latest publications
are available
Prof. John E. Hay
johnhay@ihug.co.nz
