Search results for ""Author Ove Hoegh-Guldberg""

The iconic and beautiful Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Marine Park is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. With contributions from international experts, this timely and fully updated second edition of The Great Barrier Reef describes the animals, plants and other organisms of the reef, as well as the biological, chemical and physical processes that influence them. It contains new chapters on shelf slopes and fisheries and addresses pressing issues such as climate change, ocean acidification, coral bleaching and disease, and invasive species.The Great Barrier Reef is a must-read for the interested reef tourist, student, researcher and environmental manager. While it has an Australian focus, it can equally be used as a reference text for most Indo-Pacific coral reefs.Key Features: Exciting and contemporary account of the issues that face the world’s most complex marine ecosystem. Examines the diversity, physiology, ecology and conservation of coral reefs in one volume. Written by leading authorities on the biodiversity of the GBR as well as its position as an icon for monitoring global warming. Beautifully illustrated.

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Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 61. The effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and related climate change on shallow coral reefs are gaining considerable attention for scientific and economic reasons worldwide. Although increased scientific research has improved our understanding of the response of coral reefs to climate change, we still lack key information that can help guide reef management. Research and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems over the past few decades have documented two major threats related to increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2: (1) increased sea surface temperatures and (2) increased seawater acidity (lower pH). Higher atmospheric CO2 levels have resulted in rising sea surface temperatures and proven to be an acute threat to corals and other reef-dwelling organisms. Short periods (days) of elevated sea surface temperatures by as little as 1–2°C above the normal maximum temperature has led to more frequent and more widespread episodes of coral bleaching-the expulsion of symbiotic algae. A more chronic consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 is the lowering of pH of surface waters, which affects the rate at which corals and other reef organisms secrete and build their calcium carbonate skeletons. Average pH of the surface ocean has already decreased by an estimated 0.1 unit since preindustrial times, and will continue to decline in concert with rising atmospheric CO2. These climate-related Stressors combined with other direct anthropogenic assaults, such as overfishing and pollution, weaken reef organisms and increase their susceptibility to disease.

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Australia's coral reefs stretch far and wide, covering 50 000 square kilometres from the Indian Ocean in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East. They have been viewed as a bedrock of coastal livelihoods, as uncharted and perilous nautical hazards, as valuable natural resources, and as unique, natural wonders with secrets waiting to be unlocked. Australia's coral reefs have sustained a global interest as places to visit, and as objects of study, science, protection and conservation.Coral Reefs of Australia examines our evolving relationship with coral reefs, and explores their mystery and the fast pace at which they are now changing. Corals are feeling the dramatic impacts of global climate change, having undergone several devastating mass coral bleaching events, dramatic species range shifts and gradual ocean acidification.This comprehensive and engaging book brings together the diverse views of Indigenous Australians, coral reef scientists, managers and politicians to reveal how we interact with coral reefs, focussing on Indigenous culture, coastal livelihoods, exploration, discovery, scientific research and climate change. It will inform and inspire readers to learn more about these intriguing natural phenomena and how we can protect coral reefs for the future.FEATURES A unique interdisciplinary collection celebrating our relationship with Australia's coral reefs that brings together perspectives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, coral reef scientists, managers and politicians. Covers the full geographical scope of Australia's reefs from the Indian Ocean's Cocos (Keeling) atoll in the West to the Pacific Ocean's Lord Howe Island in the East. Illustrated with high quality images of coral reef environments and people interacting with them. Covers the development of coral reef science in Australia and how scientists have interacted with reef managers and policy makers to guide effective stewardship of reefs.

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