An Altered Ocean

February 23, 2011 - At the National Press Club Wednesday morning, scientists showed a video of an ocean teeming with wildlife: colorful coral, crabs, sea anemone and bright orange starfish.

The video underscored some not-so-new, but still sobering, news. If trends continue unchecked, our ocean may soon be robbed of its rich coral reefs and many of the 4,000 fish species that depend on them.

Some 75 percent of the world's reefs are facing the threat of extinction, and absent major changes, that number will rise to 90 percent by 2030, and reach 100 percent by 2050, according to a new analysis released Wednesday.

And reversing these trends will take a Herculean effort, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenko warned. {continued}

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding, and Allison Perry February, 2011 - This report provides a detailed assessment of the status of and threats to the world’s coral reefs. It evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities, and includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. It also contains a global assessment of the vulnerability of nations and territories to coral reef degradation. {backlinks and more}

 

Scientists Forecast an Altered Ocean

 

Listen to the audio recording of the "February 23 launch event" in Washington, D.C.: