Phuket Coral Bounces Back From Bleaching Blight

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Phuket coral bounces back from bleaching blight

Phuket Gazette

Bleached coral at Koh Payu at the Similan Islands Marine National Park. Photo: Marine National Park Operations Center.

Boonchob Sudthamanaswong, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Andaman Coast Group, addresses Monday's meeting.

PHUKET: -- Considerable improvement in the condition of bleached coral reefs around Phuket and along the Andaman Coast has been noted by government researchers, it was announced at a meeting early this week.

Boonchob Sudthamanaswong, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Andaman Coast Group (DMCR-Andaman), chaired a seminar at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on Monday to discuss government plans to restore damaged marine resources as well as review progress in the the development of environmental monitoring systems in Phuket and the other five Andaman Coast provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun.

After the seminar, Mr Boonchob told the media there have been great improvements in the conditions of coral reefs in the region since the devastating coral bleaching episode in 2010.

“Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob.

Coral bleaching is a natural process triggered by an increase in sea water temperature, Mr Boonchob explained.

“I am happy to announce that more than half of the coral damaged has already returned to its original condition,” he concluded.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12331.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-02-17

[Tanaka]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

[Jimi007]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

I have to agree. What did they do? Cool the sea temperature? I was in the Andaman Sea today, it was quite warm. I hope it doesn't get back up to over 90º F like it did two years ago...

[LPCustom69]

I hope the coral continues to improve.

[kennalder]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

Well, after the 1,000 boats drained the water from Bangkok, they were sent to the arctic where they gathered up the remaining ice, brought it back and dumped it into the Andaman Sea.

[stevenl]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

Who cares. The important thing is the coral is recovering fast.

[EvolvingApe]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

I have to agree. What did they do? Cool the sea temperature? I was in the Andaman Sea today, it was quite warm. I hope it doesn't get back up to over 90º F like it did two years ago...

It isn't water temperature alone that causes coral bleaching, it's the changing acidity caused when CO2 from the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, lowering PH.

[rakman]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

I have to agree. What did they do? Cool the sea temperature? I was in the Andaman Sea today, it was quite warm. I hope it doesn't get back up to over 90º F like it did two years ago...

It isn't water temperature alone that causes coral bleaching, it's the changing acidity caused when CO2 from the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, lowering PH.

Let's see, the sun has calmed down a lot, the oceans have cooled and receeded, and CO2 is at slightly higher levels.

Now which do you think has the most effect?

[thaiorchidsource]

Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. Making a statement like this so embarassing to world scientists that Mr. Boonchob's department has been able to cool the Andaman enough to cause the corals to regrow. Where in God's world did he go to school to learn how to do this?!!! Mother nature wants to know too.

[keestha]

Too much snorkeling/diving is also not likely to improve the condition of the corals.

[Jimi007]

Quote: “Because of global warming there was coral reef bleaching in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our department has worked to try and restore the reefs back to their original condition,” said Mr Boonchob. unqoute.

<deleted>! Please tell us what your department has done to work this wonder.

I have to agree. What did they do? Cool the sea temperature? I was in the Andaman Sea today, it was quite warm. I hope it doesn't get back up to over 90º F like it did two years ago...

It isn't water temperature alone that causes coral bleaching, it's the changing acidity caused when CO2 from the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, lowering PH.

In this case the water temperature was the main cause. The sea temperature reached 34ºC or 93ºF. which will kill the algae living in the coral. I read all about it when it happened and I was here swimming and diving. The water was HOT! We were in an El Nino weather pattern, with much of Thailand in a drought. The weather then cycled to a La Nina, which we are still in.

[BlackJack]

and how did the billion's of liters of gunge water from the floods effect all this?

all that poison from cars, fertilizers, dog do do, people do do, paint, junk, everything imaginable into the sea.

I suppose it helped feed the corals

NOT

[Jimi007]

and how did the billion's of liters of gunge water from the floods effect all this?

all that poison from cars, fertilizers, dog do do, people do do, paint, junk, everything imaginable into the sea.

I suppose it helped feed the corals

NOT

The flood waters were discharged into the Gulf of Thailand, not the Andaman Sea. Coral bleaching has happened before and it will happen again. But ongoing pollution is having an adverse affect on the oceans worldwide...