And The Fool Strikes Again

[The Scotsman]

You should elect people in state governments who want action on climate warming.

Are politicians in a position to understand the issues of climate and its complex systems?

 

[Old_Trapper70]

All human endevours come at a cost! Do you own an oven? Do you own a house? Do you buy food? Humanity advances at a price that includes the emergent "green" alternatives which incidentally also come at a price. Should we discuss how Tesla "recycles" lithium? Should we discuss the damage to watertables and the environment of the mining companies digging Lithium salts for processing and the vast amount of energy expended to obtain metalic Lithium? What are the downsides of owning an EV for example?..... but thats for another time

Like I said, all industries save for a few green (eco) companies.

so you would agree with Congressman Schader to jobs over the environment then?

This is an example of why I have decided to quit responding to you. You have this tendency to take out of context, or entirely ignore, what I said.

 

[The Scotsman]

This is an example of why I have decided to quit responding to you.

yeah......of course it is......cool bye bye

 

[Aus22]

Scotsman says pollution of the Great Barrier Reefs just farming issue contamination from runoff.
While farming practises have some effect , the main problem is climate warming causing bleaching in large parts f the reef .Global warming of coral polyps the key component of a coral reef Coral polyps require a stable climate. Changes in water conditions in the Great Barrier Reef as a result of global warming and pollution has caused coral bleaching.

 

[The Scotsman]

the main problem is climate warming causing bleaching in large parts of the reef

Hi Mate, have you a report on that - scientific oppinion is that they cannot find a link to climate change as yet?

The last study I can find is from the Australian Government and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)

Great Barrier Reef marine ecosystems and their associated catchments are part of a dynamic, interconnected system. Activities within the catchments affect the condition of coral reefs and seagrass meadows, which have both declined severely in the period since 2008. Marine water quality continues to be negatively affected by the discharge of excess nutrients, fine sediments and pesticides from the adjacent catchments, and poor marine water quality is a major cause for the poor state of many of the key marine ecosystems (coral reefs, seagrass meadows, coastal wetlands and estuaries) of the Great Barrier Reef.

Summary of evidence

1. Great Barrier Reef-wide coral cover has declined by approximately 50 per cent since 1985, while coral cover on inshore reefs has declined by 34 per cent since 2005. Coral cover in the northern Great Barrier Reef has remained stable. Causes of coral loss vary from reef to reef, depending on exposure to tropical cyclones, outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish or coral disease, elevated temperatures causing coral bleaching and exposure to flood plumes.
2. Evidence of the link between poor water quality, specifically nutrients, and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks has been greatly strengthened.
3. Inshore seagrass meadows along the developed Great Barrier Reef coast (i.e. south of Cooktown) have declined over the past three to five years and are in poor condition.
4. Suspended sediment discharges, especially after extreme weather events, negatively affect turbidity in inshore waters, reduce the light required by corals and seagrass meadows and increase the sedimentation of fine particles and organic rich flocs (muddy marine snow) that can smother marine organisms.
5. Poor water quality, especially elevated concentrations of and different ratios of nutrients and high turbidity, has been shown to increase the likelihood of bleaching in corals.
6. There is evidence of increases in seagrass leaf tissue nitrogen concentrations since 2005. Epiphyte loads that reduce light availability and impair seagrass growth have increased, possibly as a consequence of increased nutrient supply.
7. Pesticides pose a low to moderate risk to inshore coral reefs at current levels, but the consequences of long term exposure at concentrations below those known to affect coral is not understood.
8. Many coastal and inshore seagrass meadows of the Great Barrier Reef are exposed to herbicide concentrations that adversely affect seagrass productivity. The contribution of herbicides to recent widespread seagrass losses is unknown.
9. The interactions of poor water quality with other pressures such as climate change are largely unknown, but could increase the risk to Great Barrier Reef ecosystems.
10. Significant new mangrove stands and landward range expansions in some areas of the Great Barrier Reef are correlated with increased sedimentation due to human activity. However, excessive sedimentation can reduce tree growth, bury seedlings and cause mortality. Increased productivity and growth in response to high nitrogen availability is offset by the increased probability of canopy loss and mortality during periods of drought or storm activity along gradients of increasing salinity. Remaining coastal wetlands are subject to sediment, nutrients and pesticides inputs from rainfall runoff and irrigation tailwater. These inputs and physical modifications to the wetlands contribute to loss of biodiversity and affect wetland structure and function, for example by facilitating weed growth, loss of connectivity between habitats, reduced oxygen levels and flow rate.

Estimates of river pollutant loads to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon have greatly improved since the last Consensus Statement. The results confirm that water discharged from the catchments into the lagoon continues to be of poor quality in many locations. Furthermore, enhanced modelling and monitoring of total suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus and photosystem II inhibiting herbicides, and provenance tracing of sediment, has significantly enhanced our knowledge of major sources and processes contributing to these river pollutant loads. The main land uses contributing pollutant loads are rangeland grazing for sediment, rangeland grazing and sugarcane for total nitrogen and total phosphorus, and sugarcane for photosystem II inhibiting herbicides. The Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Fitzroy regions contribute most to these river pollutant loads.

Summary of evidence

1. Compared to pre-European conditions, modelled mean-annual river loads to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon have increased 3.2 to 5.5-fold for total suspended solids, 2.0 to 5.7-fold for total nitrogen and 2.5 to 8.9-fold for total phosphorus. However large differences in changed loads exist between rivers due to human factors; e.g. there is almost no change in loading for most pollutants in northern Cape York rivers but much greater changes in rivers in the central and southern Great Barrier Reef. Mean-annual modelled loads of photosystem II inhibiting herbicides, namely ametryn, atrazine, diuron, hexazinone, tebuthiuron and simazine, are estimated to range between 16,000 and 17,000 kilograms per year. The total pesticide load to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon is likely to be considerably larger, given that another 28 pesticides have been detected in the rivers.
2. The Fitzroy and Burdekin regions contribute at least 70 per cent to the modelled total suspended solids load to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from human activity. Grazing lands contribute over three quarters of this load. The dominant sediment supply to many rivers is from a combination of gully and streambank erosion, and subsoil erosion from hillslope rilling, rather than broadscale hillslope sheetwash erosion. Fine sediment (less than 16 micrometres) material is the fraction most likely to reach the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, and is present at high proportions in monitored total suspended solids in the Burdekin, Fitzroy, Plane, Burnett, and Normanby catchments.
3. The Fitzroy, Burdekin and Wet Tropics regions contribute over 75 per cent to the modelled total nitrogen load to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from human activity. Particulate nitrogen comprises by far the largest proportion, followed by dissolved inorganic and dissolved organic nitrogen respectively. Sediment erosion processes, particularly in grazing lands, are sources of particulate nitrogen; sugarcane, other cropping and grazing are sources of dissolved inorganic nitrogen; and land use changes in filter and buffer capacity are the main sources of dissolved organic nitrogen.
4. The Fitzroy and Burdekin regions contribute approximately 55 per cent to the modelled total phosphorus load to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from human activity. Particulate phosphorus comprises by far the largest proportion, followed by dissolved inorganic and dissolved organic phosphorus respectively. Sediment erosion processes, particularly in grazing lands, are sources of particulate phosphorus; sources of dissolved inorganic phosphorus and dissolved organic phosphorus are unclear.
5. Most particulate nitrogen and phosphorus is lost or mineralised from fine sediment following delivery to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and could be readily available for uptake in marine ecosystems.
6. The Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Mackay Whitsunday regions contribute over 85 per cent of the modelled total photosystem II inhibiting herbicides load to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon from human activity. Sugarcane contributes 94 per cent of this load. Groundwater potentially may be an important source of photosystem II inhibiting herbicides (as well as dissolved nutrients) to critical near-shore ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon; however, insufficient information is available to evaluate the risks.
7. The role of modified freshwater flow regimes in driving pollutant transport and affecting reef condition, through surface water diversion, dam construction and wetland drainage and deforestation, has not been fully analysed but is important.
8. Compared to diffuse sources, most contributions to suspended sediment, nutrient and pesticide loads from point sources such as intensive animal production, manufacturing and industrial processing, mining, rural and urban residences, waste treatment and disposal, ports and shipping are relatively small but could be locally, and over short-time periods, highly significant. Point sources are the major sources of pollutants such as metals, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Whilst point sources are generally regulated activities, monitoring may not include this broad range of chemicals, and monitoring and permit information is not always available. In contrast to nutrients, sediments and pesticides, there is a lack of knowledge of the risks posed by these chemicals to Great Barrier Reef ecosystems.

 

[Aus22]

The Scotsman. I have found several sources on Google that state that climate change is mainly responsible for the damage to the Great Barrier Reef. In a Reef Health update =Great barrier Reef Foundation
"The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Chairman Dr Russell Reichart said all six reef surveyed had experienced thermal stress. following 12 months of sustained above- average temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef and current sea temperatures 2 degrees Celsius than average "
"Reports of coral bleaching have been increasing over the summer ,in the wake of 12 months of sustained above-average temperatures."
"the bleaching incidents on the Great Barrier Reef is part of a global coral bleaching event hat has been affecting world's coral reefs for at least two years"
" Climate change remains the number one threat to the Reef, reinforcing the need for a global solution and for the global community to achieve the objectives set in Paris in 2015"

 

[The Scotsman]

Google that state that climate change is mainly responsible for the damage to the Great Barrier Reef

yeah i've seen them too and they all make good reading. They generally refer back to the 2050 Reef plan (undertaken by AIMS refered to above) which is about bringing about a vast improvement in the water quality caused by farming run off - fertilisers and herbicides. Very little coralation to sea temperatures from GW as yet.

 

[Aus22]

The Sotsman, I think we will have to agree differ on what is the main cause of the damage to he Great Barrier Reef. But it is a fact that it is damage and other land marks will be damage unless we remove sources of pollution. They are even proposing a mine near the Barrier Reef. Mankind seems incapable or unwilling to do anything so many land marks will disappear.

 

[The Scotsman]

They are even proposing a mine near the Barrier Reef.

has it been finalised yet? I read somewhere that it was a financial sink and that the only reason the Indians considered it was because of massive Government subsidies! Seems stupid but then again it can get in line with all the other stupidity thats going on as you say above.
Have a nice weekend!

 

[Aus22]

The mine has not started yet. But both the Liberal Federal government and the Labor State government have agree to support it. It will apparently create jobs and boost the economy. This is short term thinking but it appears all there is.