LIHU‘E — This month’s Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum is on the impact of climate change on coral reefs. It is Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom and the Zero Waste Kaua‘i Facebook page.
It is free and open to all, and registration for the Zoom talk is available at bit.ly/kauaicoralreefs.
Reefs are called the rainforests of the sea because of the diversity of life found in the habitats created by corals. Over 25% of the ocean’s fish depend on healthy coral reefs. Fishes and other organisms shelter, find food, reproduce and rear their young in the many nooks and crannies formed by corals.
Surfrider Kaua‘i has arranged for a research ecologist from O‘ahu, Dr. Thomas Oliver of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, to present.
”Finding Reef Resilience: Tracking Climate Change Effects on Corals Reefs to Empower Coral Management and Restoration” is his presentation.
Oliver normally spends three to four months a year with a research team diving at close and remote reefs to visually assess and monitor their conditions.
As such, he and his team can chronicle how reef health varies with climate conditions. Oliver will share his latest research as published in Science magazine about how corals are coping, and offer ways all can help the reefs. There will be time for questions and answers and an open discussion.
Kaua‘i Climate Action forums are held monthly by Zero Waste Kaua‘i, Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i and Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition.
Source: The Garden Island
Be First to Comment