Coral bleaching: living through a train wreck and being unable to stop it

Have you ever seen a train wreck happen? I’m seeing one right now and it’s terribly sad and a preview of the future. I’m currently teaching my field biology course on a remote marine lab on a Caye off Belize and we’re literally watching the coral bleach. 

Coral, as you might know, has a symbiotic relationship with algae. The colors that coral have result from their algae (called zoozanthellae in the jargon of coral folks). These zoozanthellae are very sensitive to temperature and coral ‘bleaching’ events occur when the zoozanthellae jettison their coral head; something they should not do (imagine the parachute scene from the Woody Allen film “Everything you wanted to know about sex but were too afraid to ask”; Google it if you have to!).

Bleaching is bad: the reef dies if it bleaches and can’t be recolonized by new zoozanthellae. There have been Caribbean-wide bleaching events in the past few decades and some of these have led to widespread destruction of coral reefs. I wonder if we’re about to experience a new one.

I’ve been in the water the past four days. It’s HOT here and the water is warming up. We’ve not had rain in three days and yesterday the water temperature (not just in shallow areas) was over 90°F. This is a magic temperature range because many of these zoozanthellae jettison their coral around this temperature. 

My colleague, a coral reef biologist, pointed out last night that if we didn’t get rain or a wind that would mix in the cold water, we should expect to see a lot of bleaching today. And, while we had a nice sea breeze last night, and the water temperature went down a bit (the air temperature feels like it’s over 100°F), this morning I was shocked to see bleaching coral. Coral heads that were a brilliant yellow yesterday morning are now white. A fan coral, that should be a brilliant purple, is now beached skeletal white.

It’s a compelling sight; made worse because we know what’s going to kill the reef (hot temperatures). We also know what’s going to cause widespread destruction of oceans (acidification). We know that these are a direct result of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon. We know that over-fishing (this will be the subject of another post) eliminates fish populations. We know, yet we continue along our path to a train wreck. Would be fascinating to watch if the consequences were not so profound.

Reefs protect land from storms. Reefs are where fish larvae grow up and thus are important to maintain fisheries. Reefs are going to be the source of new antibiotics that are needed since our current crop of antibiotics is becoming ineffective because of overuse and evolution. Reefs harbor incredible biodiversity; a reason alone for their protection.

Train wreck. Happening. Not very nice to see.

You ever seen a train wreck? Talk about it over dinner. Better yet, discuss ways that we can work together to stop it.

Hardening positions?

In the Fall 2011 issue of The Key Reporter,  Phi Beta Kappa secretary John Churchill wrote about how we perceive opposing views. Evidence suggests that when people are confronted with oppsing views, confirmation bias sets in--we harden our positions.  Churchill then notes that Plato knew all about this and when he wrote (in Book VII of The Republic) that those trained to argue will always become entrenched in their positions and "...like puppy dogs, they rejoice in pulling and tearing at all who come near them."  Churchill then goes on to note that there is a difference between simple arguing and true discussion where the aim is the pursuit of truth. 

What I learned from this (and I've not had time to read those sections of The Republic), is that we should always be concerned with conformation bias.  We should always question what we think we know (as a scientist I'm supposed to be trained to do this) and we should have the noble aims of seeking the truth.  The challenge is getting the rest of our highly polarized society to think this way.

Discussion Question

How would you frame a conversation to try to avoid confirmation bias?  How, especially at a dinner party, can you create a space where you can honestly discuss things openly and seek the truth?  If this isn't possible, how can we improve our education so as to train the current generation of school children (who will, after all, have to deal with the messes we've created) to seek the truth, rather than becoming more entrenched in an argument?

Is recycled paper better for the environment?

In this nice essay from The Conversation, Tom Rainey asks (and answers) whether recycled paper is better for the environment.  Like many such questions, the answer is 'it depends'.  We must do a better job becoming comfortable with these sorts of answers; much in life is relative and trade-offs are all around us.  Being clear about what those trade-offs are is important.

Steve Jobs and consumerism

I will admit that I sucked my breath in and was shocked and saddened when I heard of Steve Jobs passing.  He revolutionized not one, but many industries. Computers, music, magazines, books and movies will not be quite the same since Jobs' created hardware, software and a vision for easy and elegant access (and of course one where Apple took a healthy cut of the profits).  People with such a vision come along rarely and are genuinely transformative.

I've been an avid Apple consumer since that wonderful 1984 Superbowl commercial.  I saw it and was impressed with the message, but bought that first boxy Macintosh not because of the commercial, but because I really didn't want a DOS machine.  I collected, managed, and analyzed my honors research data on red-tailed hawks in Boulder County, Colorado on that Mac.  I bought a case for it and dragged it around...it was after all a portable computer.  I wrote my honors thesis on that Mac.  In graduate school I upgraded the guts to make it a Mac+ before I started a tradition of using Mac laptops.  I still have that original Mac along with a lot of other Macs (my lab is almost all Mac).  

I bought an early iPod which I mostly used for research--it's a great way to broadcast vocalizations to animals when conducting behavioral experiments. 

When I finally got a cell phone two years ago (I resisted for a LONG time), I got an iPhone.  I share Jobs' obsession with clean design and clean function (I'm a minimalist at heart) and, while I use non-Apple products too, the Apple products 'just work' and they feel great to use. I loved that there is no guide to using the iPhone...that you just figure it out intuitively.

Yet, the consumerism that Jobs' drove so well is killing us.  Our computers, iPhones, and iPads quickly become obsolete (I have quite a collection of old computers and printers, hard drives, zip disks (remember those?)...). 

While this planned obsolescence (or is it just rapid evolution in a desired market?) may be good for the economy and it certainly creates a lot of jobs in China, where much of these products are manufactured, I'm not so sure it's good for the environment.  Between mining the rare earth metals that are required for touch screens, toxic chemicals used in circuit board manufacturing, and shipping these parts and products all around the Earth (to name three parts of the manufacturing process), considerable energy and natural resources are used.  

Does $200 really reflect the ecological cost of an iPhone (heck, you can now get an 'old' 3GS free with an AT&T contract!).  

Does the consumer culture that requires us to upgrade annually or biannually (should I really feel inadequate with my 3GS?), and the planned obsolescence built in to drive more consumerism (why oh why did the Mac OS Lion update kill Rosetta?).  

Does the throw away electronic society really benefit us?  These are tough questions because these products have been game changers.  

Is it better to print books or read them on an iPad?  What if all publishing shifted to ebooks?  Server farms are using more and more energy annually and the electronics required to read them must be regularly replaced and upgraded.  I bet the sum total of that energy, when added up and summed over the lifetime of a printed book, exceeds the ecological footprint of printing a book.

While I am very sad at the loss of true visionary (and at such a young age), more than ever we need other visionaries that will help us wean ourselves away from a culture of consumerism and help us re-focus on those true things that lead to welfare and happiness. Ultimately, I believe that consumerism is not the path to happiness, but stronger social bonds are.

Have a dinner party to strengthen those bonds and raise a glass to Steve Jobs and his revolutionary visions, but talk about creating a new revolutionary vision, a more sustainable one that we all can enjoy.

The environment (and the world) needs good citizens

Guilherme B. Guzzo is a biologist and teacher in Brasil, with a M.S. in Zoology.  I'm posting this on his behalf.  We met at a meeting in Uruguay and had several wonderful conversations.  I hope he continues to contribute his wise thoughts to this blog.

The environment (and the world) needs good citizens

Guilherme B. Guzzo, biologist and teacher, M.S. in Zoology

 

One of the most difficult points when we discuss environmental issues is: how is it possible to change people’s behavior in a way that they start to perceive the environment that surrounds them as a vital part of their lives?

Part of the answer relies on the role of schools in the transmission of knowledge. It is really difficult for anyone to act in a certain way if he or she does not have enough information about the problem. But information is not all we need. Robert Pirsig, in his classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, stated that, if we want to change the world, we first need to change ourselves. We cannot achieve good results if people do not perceive the importance of doing the right things. Some people may ask “why should I use less water, or save energy in my house?” The question we could address to this people should be “is there any reason to behave the other way?” Even if we don’t know exactly the effects of using a lot of energy in our homes, or of using water to clean our backyard, we should save these resources just because this is the right thing to do.

The role of the families is, in my opinion, more important than the role of schools in creating responsible citizens. Values are grown in the familiar environment. Parents need to understand that what they do and say can have a tremendous influence on their children. That’s why parents should try to do the right things, and habituate their children to do the same. Parenting is not just about feeding the children, giving them material and monetary resources; the essential is to be concerned with their personal development, with personal values.

To be a good citizen is a question that does not concern the life of an individual. Citizenship is a value that societies should appreciate: it is essential for life in groups, and the environment also depends on it. 

Words of wisdom from Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall, the primate biologist, chimpanzee expert, and conservation biologist was recently interviewed by the Huffington Post.  She shares a lot of wisdom, amongst it this gem:

What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you were growing up?

If you meet someone who disagrees with you -- has a different opinion -- the most important thing is to listen carefully to what they say, and keep an open mind. And maybe you’ll find that you say, "well gosh, I never thought of it like that. Maybe they do have a point there." When I was 26 I got a job at the London Zoo with a documentary film unit. When I got back from Africa after my first trip, there was a press conference at the London Zoo. My zookeeper friends said, "Jane, now you can talk about all these horrible conditions at the zoo." But then, by pure chance, I had dinner with a very wise man who had spent a lot of time in Africa. When I told him about this, I was met with a very long silence. He said, "Jane, why are you doing that?" And I said, "I want to help the chimps." And he said, "You do realize that the head of the London Zoological Society is a very famous and very wealthy man…do you really think he’s going to let you, a young woman without a degree, prove him wrong? You will make an enemy for life." So I said, "What do you think I should do?" And he said, "Just tell me the few things you think would make a difference." So I did, and in a few weeks those changes had been made.

Read more at the Huffington Post interview.

Is grass green?

I don't have any recipes that incorporate grass.  Here's at least one good reason why.  Check out this PBS report talking about how the marijuana growing industry uses a lot of power and may illegally pollute local ecosystem with chemicals no longer legal in the US.