Thailand's coral at immediate risk from rising sea temperature, expert warns

[PeteC]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... pert-warns

A marine resources expert has warned of possible massive coral bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, and its impact on tourism and food supply.

Assist Prof Thon Thamrongnawasawat, of the faculty of fisheries at Kasetsart University, posted his warning on Facebook on Tuesday.

He said the sea's temperature at the faculty's monitoring station in Si Racha district of Chon Buri had not fallen below 31.2°C for the last three or four days.

The sea's temperature had exceeded 31.5 degrees at 4am on Monday, and at the time of his posting it was 32 degrees, he wrote. He attributed this to the El Nino weather phenomenon and to global warming.

Mr Thon said sea temperatures were peaking, and based on statistics the peak could exceed 33 degrees this month and next month.

"If the hot temperatures continue for a few more weeks, I think we will start to see coral bleaching in some areas, including the East," he wrote.

He also quoted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States as warning that massive coral bleaching could occur in the region in four to eight weeks. That could affect marine tourism, he said.

There could also be an impact on seafood supply because marine life would move to deeper water to avoid the heat, and fish raised in cages could die, he said.

[buksida]

'Boiling not warming': Marine life suffers as sea temperatures hit record
Aquatic life from coral reefs to fish in the Thailand's eastern gulf coast is suffering as sea surface temperatures hit record highs this month amid a regional heatwave, worrying scientists and local communities.

The once vibrant and colourful corals, about five metres (16 feet) underwater, have turned white in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching, a sign that their health was deteriorating, due to higher water temperatures, scientists say.

Sea surface temperatures in the Eastern Gulf of Thailand reached 32.73 degrees Celsius (90.91 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this month while underwater readings are slightly warmer, with dive computers showing around 33°C, data shows.

"I couldn't find a single healthy coral," said marine biologist Lalita Putchim of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) after completing a dive in the gulf coast.

"Almost all of the species have bleached, there's very little that's not affected."

The Trat archipelago is home to over 66 islands, with over 28.4 square kilometres (2,841 hectares) of coral reef, where Lalita has found that up to 30% of coral life was bleaching and 5% had already died.

If water temperatures do not cool, more coral will die, Ms Lalita said.

"It's global boiling, not just global warming," she said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... hit-record

[STEVE G]

12 Marine National Parks closed to combat coral bleaching

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) has announced the closure of 12 marine national parks on the Andaman Sea and the in the Gulf of Thailand after it was found that 50-70% of the coral has been experiencing coral bleaching caused by the rising sea temperature.

The closures include the following parks:

Mu Koh Chang National Park;
Khao Laem Ya – Mu Koh Samed National Park;
Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park;
Had Wanakorn National Park;
Mu Koh Chumphon National Park;
Mu Koh Surin National Park;
Sirinat National Park;
Ao Phang-nga National Park;
Than Bok Koranee National Park;
Had Nopparat Tara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park;
Mu Koh Lan Ta National Park;
Had Khanom – Mu Koh Thale
https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnew ... ing-461228

[PeteC]

I think once coral is bleached out by high water temperatures it can't recover, it's dead? New coral has to grow when conditions return to favourable, which takes years and years.

The action they are taking now is the typical knee jerk reaction we see all the time and will do nothing to reverse what climate change has unfortunately already done.

[STEVE G]

^Yes,

The end of coral reefs as we know them

https://www.vox.com/climate/24137250/co ... ate-change

“What we are seeing now is essentially what scientists have been predicting was going to happen for more than 25 years,” Manzello, who leads the agency’s coral bleaching project, told Vox in April. A build-up of carbon emissions is the underlying cause of warming, which has also supercharged more temporary drivers of ocean heat, including El Niño (which has recently weakened)."

[buksida]

Yes, when the coral is gone, its gone. When we moved to Bangsaphan around 15 years ago, there was prolific coral and marine life at Koh Talu. Now ... nada. The Thai fishing fleet raping the waters with their destructive dragnets hasn't helped, but it is largely down to the seas warming (more so in El Niño years).

[Ratsima]

Just had a look at my dive log. There was a nasty bleaching event in May of 2019 at Losin in the Gulf. The photo is a screen grab of a video I took at the time. By September when we returned to the same spot, most of the bleaching was gone.

bleach.jpg (109.82 KiB) Viewed 217 times

[STEVE G]

Thai dive instructors fear for coral’s future and their livelihoods
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/ar ... 2003818058

"Underwater photography can only be done by divers and we can tell the truth about the situation,” Yukinaga said.

However, she said it is hard not to feel helpless given the pace of climate change.

“If it continues like this, maybe the diving industry can’t survive,” she said. “If the underwater environment cannot survive, maybe the diving industry cannot survive.”

[Ratsima]

The surface temperature was 32º in May of 2019 when the photo above was taken. As you can see, that resulted in severe bleaching of some coral. By September of the same year the surface temperature was down to 30º which was low enough for much of the coral to recover.

I haven't been out this year (too old now) so I have no personal knowledge as to current water temps but I suspect at least 32º. It would have been nice if that article had some specifics.

In any event, there's a lot more to worry about than just the dive industry.

BTW, this is the location of Losin where the photo was taken:

Losin

With a photo of same:

LosinSurface.jpg (65.32 KiB) Viewed 167 times