Victoria Reef Waters Challenge Great Barrier Heated Debate

Image Parks Victoria Australia Newly Discovered Reef

We all know how it goes...the value of coral reefs for the ecosystem and the world is invaluable. Corals Reefs are not worth millions a price can no longer be set on these magnificent organism and numerous services they provide. The way coral reefs protect coastal populations from storm, hurricanes, cyclones and high tides and while at it provide home and nourishment for local ocean food webs and day to day resources to coastal fisheries is well known, well established.

Yes, we have all heard about that and how climate change, human impact, global warming and rising sea levels are affecting the life cycles of coral reefs organisms which have been here on Earth longer than we have. So we all known these things and therefore think that there are no longer secrets nor new discoveries and revelations of coral reefs that can inspire us... but Australian Researchers assures that we are wrong.

Parks Victoria of Australia communicated on September 8 that they had not only discovered a massive new coral in Australian waters but that it “rivals the Great Barrier Reef”. That is right. The new coral of Parks Victoria dares to challenge the King of Coral Reefs. Parks Victoria used two words to describe the new coral reef, “Hidden” and “Treasure”.

The news of the discovery of a never seen before reef that challenged the Great Barrier went viral through the web and main media.

Scientists involved in the discovery told the international media that the “diversity of colourful coral, sponges, and abundant fish species could rival the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef”.

Another well established song today goes like this...Many argue -and probably with scientific basis to support their arguments that coral reefs are disappearing...but today some question whether corals are actually evolving and adapting to climate change without our help.

In the millions of years which corals have had here on this planet they have faced many climate change events, so why would corals not adapt to another one? Some even say that corals are going deeper into cooler waters. Tropical coral reef environments could be taking over the niche which deep corals used to occupy. Why? The surface waters no longer host the adequate temperatures while waters 100 meter deep do.

Should we pay more attention to what corals are doing themselves to adapt? Or bind our efforts to induced recovery programs? Recovery programs include artificial coral creation, genetic manipulation, coral gardening, and biomimetics among others while studies which assure that corals are adapting range from parental adaptation to acid and water adaptation. The heated debate is on, it has been on fire for some time, but the new discovery at Victoria Parks brings back again fresh waters to this debate.

It comes bizarre to discover new coral reefs mostly because we all believe that the Earth and its Ocean hold no secrets and have already been charted fully. Parks Victoria explained that the Wilson's Promontory National Park was until today known for its beautiful earth ecosystems. “But up until now scientists hadn't been able to explore the ocean terrain, which is a lot deeper than Queensland's Great Barrier Reef,” Parks representatives explained.

Scientists where mapping the coastal depths of the park using Remotely Operated Vehicles ROVs scanning depths of 100 meters when...they were amazed by what the ROV video footage relayed.

“Researchers from Parks Victoria had previously mapped the national park's sea floor from above the surface and had seen evidence of some interesting underwater structures, but this is the first time they'd sent cameras down to explore. And they definitely weren't expecting to find this,” Parks Victoria stated.

The images of Parks Victoria ROV explorers reveal a rich environment composed both of hard and soft corals. Soft corals are usually found at surface tropical reefs, while hard corals are abundant in deep water reefs. The environments of deep water reefs and tropical surface reefs are known for being very different. While tropical reefs home certain species which are not found in deep reefs and vice-versa, they are believed not to share many elements. This belief could be mistaken. Images made public by Victoria Parks urge for serious scientific investigation.

“...researchers uncovered a stunning deep-sea world of hard and soft coral, colorful sponge gardens and massive coral fans -- all teeming with fish and marine invertebrates. Looks like one of the world's most famous natural wonders has some pretty impressive competition,” the Huffington Post Australia reported.

"It's a wild and dynamic environment," Dr. Steffan Howe, Parks Victoria's Marine Science Manager told The Huffington Post.

Underwater robots captured footage of rare fish species, including the Australian barracuda and Longsnout Boarfish

“The resulting footage shows that the deep reef habitats are teeming with life and are home to rich and abundant marine ecosystems that are comparable to Australia’s better-known tropical reef areas. The extent and abundance of spectacular sponge gardens and corals is a particularly exciting find,” said Dr Howe.

...perhaps the unanswered questions are the more interesting. When did this coral reef form? Is it young or ancient? Are there others like it just waiting to be discovered? Why does it biological system share elements of a tropical surface reef? The answers to these questions whatever way they go are of interest.

The mind blowing fact that this amazing never-seen-before- coral reef system was discovered just 150 miles from Melbourne reveals just how much of the Ocean is still a mystery.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.